Dangerous Love
by bellaa95
Summary: An AU Paily story where Emily and Paige meet in college. Of course they have feelings for one another, but there is far more dangerous drama than just their new relationship.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my latest creation, an AU Paily college story. I know this storyline has been done before, but this will also have a mystery twist and I hope you find it interesting. I would definitely appreciate any feedback!**

Eighteen-year-old Emily Fields was excited and terrified at the same time to meet her college roommate as she followed her father up the stairs to her new dorm room. She lived on the fourth floor of Rutherford Hall, and her assigned roommate was a Paige McCullers, who as it turned out only lived about an hour from her. They had texted and called over the summer, but they hadn't actually met. She was nervous to see what Paige was really liked, and she hoped they would be best friends like those cliché movies about teens going away to college.

She and her best friend from back home, Maya, had stalked Paige's Facebook thoroughly to see what she was like. She was a popular swimmer, with some of the best records in Pennsylvania, and she seemed very intelligent. She had a boyfriend named Caleb, who was all over her Paige, but she hadn't found much about actual friends. She seemed nice enough when they talked on the phone, but she hadn't mentioned the part about herself that could potentially cause trouble. She was a lesbian, and although she and her ex-girlfriend, Alison, had broken up months ago, she didn't know much about her roommate or if she would be comfortable sharing a room with her. She certainly hoped it wouldn't be an issue, but she knew she would feel better once she got that off her chest. Mostly she was excited for this new experience, where she could be independent, but it would also be a big change.

When she got inside her room, her roommate was already there, unpacking. She had long, brown hair and a slim but fit body. Her tight tank top showed off her impressive stomach, and Emily gulped. When the girl turned around, her heart almost stopped. She was absolutely beautiful.

"Hi," she greeted her brightly, walking over to her. "You must be Emily. I'm Paige."

"Hi, Paige," she replied shakily, reaching out to shake her hand. Paige went in for a hug instead, and all Emily could think about was how good her hair smelled. Like peaches.

"It's so nice to meet you," Paige continued. "I saved you the bed by the window, just like you asked."

"Thank you," she replied. She seemed nice enough. "Paige, this is my Dad."

"Hi, sir," she greeted him, reaching out her hand. Wayne Fields smiled approvingly at Paige's manners.

"Hello, Paige."

"My parents already left," Paige told them. "I'm almost done unpacking, if you want help."

"Sure," Emily replied, forcing herself to look away from Paige's enormous brown eyes. "I would love that."

They spent the afternoon unpacking. Wayne and Emily said their good byes, which were harder than she anticipated, and she watched as he walked down the hall. She took a deep breath and closed the door, looking around at her new home for the next year. Paige smiled warmly at her.

"Nervous?" she asked.

"A little," Emily admitted, sitting down on her bed. The fact that her new roommate was so incredibly attractive didn't help. "Are you?"

"Of course. Especially for classes. I don't like starting something new; I like to have things already in order," Paige replied. She blushed. "I guess I can be a little uptight sometimes."

"It's cool," Emily assured her. "I'm terrified for classes. And I don't even know why."

"It's normal," Paige replied with a shrug. "What's your major?"

"English and writing. You?"

"Biology. I'm pre-med."

"Wow. You must be really smart."

"Sort of," Paige laughed. "I've wanted to go to med school since I was little. You want to be a writer?"

"Yeah," Emily replied eagerly. "A journalist. I love writing."

"That's awesome," Paige told her. "So…. you're from Pennsylvania?"

"Yeah. Rosewood."

"I'm like, an hour from there. Pittsburgh."

"Your swimming record looks very impressive."

"Oh. Thanks," Paige replied, blushing again. "You used to swim, too?"

"Yeah. But I tore my rotator's cuff last year."

"Oh, wow. That sucks."

"Yeah. But I was kind of tired of swimming, to be honest. It was just as well."

"I hate swimming now," Paige agreed. "I've been doing it for as long as I remember. My boyfriend, Caleb, keeps trying to get me to quit, but… my parents would be really disappointed."

"I get the whole disappointing the parents thing," Emily replied. Paige looked at her questioningly, and she took a deep breath. May as well get it out of the way. "I'm a lesbian. My mom hates it."

"Oh," Paige replied, but she didn't seem upset. "I'm sorry, Emily. That must be really hard for you, having your mom feel that way."

Emily let out a sigh of relief. Paige was okay with her sexuality.

"It is," she agreed. "We don't talk much, and my dad's in the army. So when he's not home, I can't bear to be."

"Wow. Emily, I'm really sorry," she told her, and Emily could tell her new roommate was genuinely upset to hear that. "Well, it doesn't matter to me who you love. You can be who you are here and you don't have to apologize for it."

Emily smiled, her eyes filling with tears. Paige really was sweet, and she was so glad she hadn't been assigned to someone like her mother.

"Thank you. That means so much."

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Paige asked eagerly, grinning. Emily sighed.

"I did. In high school."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's cool. Alison was her name. She….. well, she totally used me. I don't know if she even really liked me. But she knew how I felt about her and used my feelings to get what she wanted. But enough about my sob story. Tell me more about you."

They talked all afternoon, and then went to the dining hall for dinner and talked some more. Emily told her about her school and her best friend, Maya. Paige told her about swimming, Caleb, and her best friend from home, Spencer. They met some of the other girls on their floor and were told about a party at a frat house nearby. They agreed to go, since parties were a freshman's rite of passage, but vowed not to drink so they were ready for classes the next morning. They hurried back to their room to change and make themselves presentable before heading out to the party with two of their neighbors, shy and quiet Aria Montgomery and very loud Hanna Marin. Emily really liked her already; she was boisterous and extremely rude, but so funny Emily was afraid she was going to cry her mascara off from laughing so hard. Paige seemed amused by her too, and Emily's fear from earlier that day was already gone. Sure, she was still anxious about finding her way to her classes, but she had already met some great people and her roommate was even better than she had hoped. So far, there was absolutely nothing to complain about.

"So I was like, keep it in your pants," Hanna was saying, swirling the contents of her plastic red cup. "Like, for crying out loud! Is that all I'm good for?"

"So, your boyfriend was a virginity pledge and now he's a nymphomaniac?" Paige asked. Hanna laughed.

"Pretty much! Tell me more about your boyfriend."

"He's smart," Paige replied, and Emily didn't know if it was just wishful thinking or if Paige suddenly sounded bored. "He's good with technology and stuff."

"Ooh, a geek," Hanna replied. "My kind of guy."

"You have a boyfriend," Aria reminded her.

"Oh. Right."

"Paige!" Spencer exclaimed. "There you are!"

"Spence!" Paige exclaimed, giving her friend a hug. "Guys, this is Spencer. My best friend from high school."

"You go here, too?" Emily asked.

"Yup. We chose not to room together so we could meet some new people," she explained. "Is one of you Paige's roommate?"

"Me," Emily replied. Spencer smiled.

"Nice to meet you."

"We have a lot in common," Paige added, smiling at Emily. "She's pretty great."

"I'm glad to hear that," Spencer replied. "My roommate's a party girl. Like, a wild party girl."

"Good thing you live at the library."

"Fuck Sean," Hanna exclaimed suddenly. "I'm checking out the hot guys!"

Aria shook her head as Hanna bounded away, provoking laughs from all of them. Paige grinned at Emily.

"She's a character."

"I should probably check out the hot guys, too," Spencer added. "The perks of being single."

"Do you have a boyfriend, Emily?" Aria asked.

"I'm a lesbian, actually," Emily replied. Aria looked embarrassed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't-."

"It's fine," she assured her. "I'm single right now, too."

"Well, I'm sure there are some hot lesbians here," Spencer replied. "We just have to find them."

"Spencer likes to play matchmaker," Paige explained.

"I wouldn't necessarily mind that," Emily replied. She doubted there was another girl here as beautiful and sweet as Paige, but she would have to try to find one.

"I set Paige up with Caleb," Spencer continued. Paige sighed.

"Can we not talk about Caleb anymore?" she asked. Spencer looked surprised. "Emily, what time did you want to go back?"

"It doesn't matter," Emily replied. "I don't have my first class until noon."

"Lucky," Spencer sighed. "I have an eight o'clock every morning."

"That's because you're an over achiever," Paige replied. Spencer scowled.

"I'm gonna go join Hanna."

They decided to call it a night a little after twelve. They walked back to their dorm with Aria and a slightly buzzed Hanna, who was gushing about all the ass she was going to be getting. It was amusing to listen to, and Paige and Emily wished Aria luck before heading into their own room.

"I think I want to shower," Paige announced. "I feel gross after being in that frat house."

"Same," Emily agreed. "How many showers are there?"

"I looked when I got here. There's four on the floor."

Emily nodded, her heart beating faster at the prospect of showering in the same room as Paige, separated by only a curtain. She quickly scolded herself; it was only the first day and she was already falling hard for a girl she probably couldn't have. Paige may be okay with her sexuality, but if she found out Emily was crushing on her, that might change. She had to get her feelings under control.

They showered and headed back to their room. Emily was careful not to look at Paige as they changed into their pajamas, not wanting to make her wonder.

"Today was a pretty good first day," Paige remarked as she climbed into bed. "Now to just get the first week of classes out of the way."

"Yeah," Emily agreed, reaching for the light. "I think we'll be okay."

"We will. You wanna meet up for dinner tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"Okay, awesome. Good night, Emily."

"Good night, Paige."

* * *

The next morning, Emily woke up to a note on the desk next to her bed. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and stretched, seeing Paige had already left for class. She picked up the note and read it through sleepy eyes, a smile crossing her face.

 _Emily, I went to grab breakfast with Spencer before class. Good luck today! I can't wait to hear about your day at dinner later. Xo Paige._

She smiled stupidly, getting out of bed. Sure, it was just a note wishing her luck. Paige had a boyfriend. But it didn't mean she couldn't think about her. Paige didn't need to know. They could be best friends, and she supposed that would be good enough. She determined then and there that she was going to absolutely love it here.

* * *

"Spencer," Paige sighed as Spencer walked into their Biology 110 classroom. "I am so glad to see you."

"Never thought I'd hear you say that," Spencer joked, taking the seat next to her. "I told you it would be good for us to take a lot of the same classes."

"So, how was your first night?" Paige asked. "Liking it here so far?"

"Not crazy about my roommate," Spencer admitted. "Bridget is a little too… wild for me. Your roommate seems cool though, and the other girls I met at the party last night. So I don't mind not being best friends with Bridget, as long as I have people to hang out with. You like your roommate?"

"She's awesome," Paige replied. "She's very sweet and we have a lot to talk about."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Hey, look," she cut in, noticing Aria standing in the entrance to the classroom, looking around awkwardly. "Aria! Over here."

Aria made her way over to them, looking grateful. She took her seat on the other side of Paige.

"Hi, Paige. Spencer. So glad to see people I know."

"Same here," Paige replied. "How's Hanna this morning?"

"She wasn't awake," Aria chuckled. "It's funny. We're so different, yet we get along really well. I think someone outgoing is just what I need."

"I love it here so far," Paige replied. "Like, more than I thought I would."

"This is supposed to be the time of our lives," Spencer agreed. "Let's make it just that."

* * *

"Hey," Emily greeted her roommate eagerly as she walked into their room. She had just finished her second and last class of the day, and she was eager to go to dinner with Paige and talk about it.

"Hi," Paige replied cheerfully, pulling off her t-shirt as if Emily wasn't standing right there. "How were your classes?"

"Good," she replied, looking away. "I met a lot of interesting people."

"Same here," she agreed as she pulled on a new shirt. "Sorry. It's hot out and I want to not be sweaty for dinner."

"Understandable," Emily laughed. "How were your classes?"

"Not bad. We can talk about it over dinner."

"I'd like that."

"Oh, and Emily?" Paige started they headed for the door.

"Yeah?"

"You don't need to look away every time I change my shirt."

"What?" Emily asked, her cheeks turning pink.

"I'm not going to think you're staring at me just because you're a lesbian. And even if you were, I'd take that as a compliment."

"Really?" Emily asked in surprise. She blushed.

"Really," Paige replied, smiling at her. "Come on, let's go eat. I'm starving."

They made their way to the dining hall, where they ate and talked all about their first day of classes. As Emily watched Paige talk, her beautiful brown eyes shining with excitement, she could do nothing but admit to herself that she was falling for her. Hard.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews guys! Here's the next chapter!**

September 14

Both Paige and Emily had adjusted very quickly to college life. They loved dorming together and the people they were meeting, and neither one of them minded their classes. They often ate together or went to the library to study, only to end up talking half the time. Emily couldn't be happier with who her roommate was, and she hoped Paige felt the same way. Of course, in the two weeks that had passed, Paige had no idea of her feelings. But that didn't stop Emily from falling in love with her in secret.

She found everything about the girl endearing. How messy she was, the way she always had to have her chemistry homework finished before she could start on biology. Often, when Emily was reading a book for class, she would find herself watching Paige instead, in awe of how beautiful she was. She was certain she had never been in love before, because she had never felt like this. Sure, she had had her infatuations. But nothing that made her feel so on top of the world like Paige McCullers did.

It was a Thursday evening and the two girls were in their room, studying. Emily was at her desk reading "Jane Eyre," while Paige was sprawled on her bed, chemistry book open as she squinted hard at it. The weather was still fairly warm for September, and the tank top Paige was wearing showed off her muscular arms. Emily wondered if the girl knew just how beautiful she was.

"I'm bored," Paige sighed dramatically. "I know this stuff already."

"What is it?" Emily asked, pretending like she hadn't been looking at her.

"Gen chem. Boiling points and shit."

"Gross."

"I know!" Paige exclaimed. "Biology is so much better. Like, who gives a fuck about atoms?"

Emily laughed. Paige grinned, swinging herself off of the bed.

"I need to pee. When I get back I'm closing that book," she announced. She was on her way to the door when a knock came, startling both of them. Paige shrugged when Emily looked at her questioningly and pulled it open. A young, good looking guy Emily assumed to be around Paige's age was standing there, holding a flower. Paige gasped, throwing her arms around him. "Caleb! Hi!"

"I wanted to surprise you," he explained, giving her a kiss. "Take you to dinner."

"Caleb, that's so sweet," she replied, pulling him into the room. "Come say hi to my roommate, Emily. Emily, this is my boyfriend, Caleb."

"Hi," Emily replied, her stomach clenching with jealously. She forced a smile.

"Hi, Emily. It's nice to meet you," he replied, reaching out to shake her hand. "Paige has told me so much about you."

"And you," she lied. Paige really didn't talk about Caleb much, but she figured it wouldn't look good to point that out. Paige might figure out what was going on.

"So, are you ready to go?" he asked. Paige nodded, reaching for her phone.

"Yeah. Em, I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah," she replied, wishing they would leave so she could roll her eyes. She immediately felt bad. What was wrong with her? It wasn't Paige's fault if she was straight. She deserved to be happy, and it wouldn't be fair for her to wish otherwise. "Have fun."

The two of them left, hand in hand. Emily clenched her teeth, tears pricking her eyes as she picked her book back up. But she couldn't focus on the words; all she could think about was the way Paige had hugged him when she saw him at the door. The way they had left holding hands. She couldn't help but wonder if they were going to have sex later, although she felt guilty for thinking about it. They had probably done it already. After all, Paige had said they had been together since sophomore year. She swallowed the lump in her throat, her mind drifting to extremely inappropriate images of Paige naked, crying out in pleasure and grasping bed sheets in her hands. Only it wasn't Caleb on top of her, kissing her, but Emily.

She quickly shook her head, feeling guilty for thinking of her roommate in such an intimate way. Paige may say she was okay with being checked out, but she doubted she would be happy to hear Emily was fantasizing about her like that.

Admitting defeat, she closed her book and tossed it onto her desk. She grabbed her key and left the room, going next door and knocking. Hanna answered, and Emily was glad to see she was alone. She liked Aria of course, but she just felt Hanna would have better advice for what she needed to get off her chest.

"Emily!" Hanna exclaimed. "Hey!"

"Hi, Han. Can I come in?"

"Sure thing," Hanna replied, stepping aside. "I was just putting off homework. What's up with you?"

"Can I tell you a secret?" Emily asked. Hanna's eyes widened.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "Sit."

"You have to promise you won't tell anyone," she continued. "Not even Aria. And especially not Paige."

"Oh my God!" Hanna squealed. "You like her!"

Emily nodded. Hanna gasped, clapping her hands together.

"Em, that's so cute!"

"It sucks. She has a boyfriend, and he just showed up to take her for a surprise dinner."

Hanna nodded knowingly. She patted Emily's back sympathetically.

"I know it must suck. But just because she has a boyfriends doesn't mean she would never be interested."

"What are the chances?"

"Do you believe in fate, Emily?"

"What?"

"Fate. Like, destiny."

"Uh….. I don't know," she replied, unsure as to what Hanna was getting at. "Why?"

"Well, maybe you and Paige are roommates because you're eventually meant to end up together."

Emily raised her eyebrows. She didn't want to make Hanna feel bad, but she doubted that.

"I don't know."

"Look. You've only known her two weeks, right?"

"Yeah."

"And she doesn't think being gay is horrifying?"

"No."

"Then don't rule her out yet," Hanna replied. "Be sweet and charming and maybe she'll fall for you."

Emily laughed, giving Hanna a hug. The blonde really could solve problems, at least emotionally if nothing else.

"Thanks, Hanna."

"Don't mention it. It's why I'm here."

* * *

"Ow," Paige grumbled, rubbing her elbow. She hated car sex, although she wasn't about to tell that to Caleb after he had made the effort of surprising her and taking her out to dinner. The least she could do was act grateful, even if she was sure she was going to have a massive bruise.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned. She nodded, buttoning her shorts.

"Yeah. I'm just a spaz," she replied. "What time is it?"

"After ten-thirty. Did you want to go back soon?"

"I probably should," she replied, her thoughts wandering to Emily and how she wanted to spend some time with her. "I have a morning class tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Caleb?"

"Yeah."

"Tonight was really sweet. Thank you."

"Anything for you," he replied, smiling. She smiled back, the feeling of guilt returning.

It was around eleven when Caleb dropped her back off at school. She gave him a kiss before sliding out of the car, trying to tame her car sex hair before anyone could see. Especially Emily. She was almost certain her roommate was attracted to her, although she wasn't sure if that was reality or wishful thinking. The latter terrified her. Why did she want Emily to like her? Wasn't Caleb enough? He loved her, and he was so good to her. He never made her feel pressured, like some of her friends' boyfriends back home did. She felt ungrateful for wanting more.

But she was just missing something with him. Sure, she definitely cared about him. But she didn't think she was in love with him. She didn't particularly like the sex part either, and she was pretty sure she was supposed to. Often she found her mind wandering, and tonight it had wandered to her dark haired, brown eyed beautiful roommate. She blushed at the memory, fumbling in her shorts pocket for her key. What was wrong with her? She was straight. Wasn't she?

She had been thinking about it a lot lately, especially since she had met Emily. She was strangely drawn to the girl, in a way she had never experienced before. There were girls she had looked at in high school, but she had just thought she needed to find the right guy first. And when she started dating Caleb, he was so handsome and sweet that she thought she was bound to fall in love with him. But two years later, she was still waiting.

When she opened the door to her room, Emily was sitting on her bed, typing on her laptop. She smiled as Paige came in, and she didn't miss the way her roommate's eyes traveled up to her messy hair. She cleared her throat awkwardly as Emily looked back at her laptop. She knew.

"Uh," she started. "I'm gonna go shower."

"Okay. How was your date?"

"Uh… good."

Emily nodded. Paige quickly busied herself in gathering her shower supplies. She didn't know if Emily was a virgin and she wasn't going to ask, but she was pretty sure her roommate didn't want to hear the details of her evening. She wasn't sure she even wanted to tell them.

"I'll be back," she told her, and hurried out of the room.

* * *

Emily hated feeling jealous. And that was exactly what she was feeling as she watched Paige walk out of the room with her towel and shower caddy. She and Caleb had definitely had sex. She could just tell by Paige's messy, frizzed hair and the guilty smile she had, like she owed Emily an explanation. Well, she wouldn't bring it up. What Paige did with her boyfriend was her business, and she felt like an absolute schmuck for being so upset about it. She couldn't let on to Paige how she felt. She would have to pretend to be nonchalant, even if the thought of someone else getting to love her to her to pieces. The last thing she wanted was to offend Paige or scare her off, ruining the friendship they had. When Paige came back, she would act normal, and pretend like she didn't know what had happened.

Paige came back a little while later, freshly showered and looking less ashamed. Emily offered her a warm smile, getting up off of her bed.

"You have any more homework to do?"

"Yes," Paige replied, toweling off her hair. Emily pretended to be busy looking through her backpack so she didn't risk looking at Paige as she took off her towel. "But I think I'm going to call it a night."

"Awesome. You want to watch a movie, then?"

"Yeah," Paige replied, her face lighting up. "I'd love that."

"Cool," Emily answered, relieved that things weren't going to stay awkward. "What genre? Horror? Thriller? Romance?"

"Yuck! Anything but romance!" Paige exclaimed, and Emily laughed.

"What? You don't like The Notebook?"

"No," she groaned, flopping on her bed. "Chick flicks are so not my thing."

"Same," Emily agreed. "My friend Maya has made me watch every Nicholas Sparks movie so many times I've lost count."

"That's awful!" Paige replied, and Emily laughed.

"I'm perfectly happy with horror."

"That's my kind of movie," Paige agreed, settling next to Emily on her bed. "Halloween?"

"You read my mind."

After getting a bag of candy from her stash of food and setting the movie up, she sat back down next to Paige. Sitting so close to the other girl made her heart beat faster, made her feel like she could never be happier. Paige had an incredible effect on her.

She thought about what Hanna had said earlier, about not ruling out Paige being interested in her. She was afraid to hope that there could ever be more than friendship between them, but she decided then and there, as Paige's bare shoulder pressed up against hers, that she would try.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Glad you guys are liking the story. Reviews/criticisms are welcome. Enjoy!**

September 15

"We were supposed to read that?" Hanna groaned. "Fuck!"

She and Emily were in their European history class Friday morning, waiting for the professor to arrive. Hanna had flaked on the homework, again, and was frantically flipping through the chapter on Medieval England as Emily laughed.

"I told you twice yesterday."

"Right. I guess you did. Hey, speaking of yesterday, did Paige talk about her date with Caleb?"

"A little," she replied, choosing not to mention the elephant in the room that neither of them had wanted to talk about. "When she came back we watched Halloween together."

"On the same bed?" Hanna asked, grinning. Emily blushed.

"Yes. Not romantically, Hanna."

"Sure."

"Seriously. I wish."

"I told you, don't be so sure she's straight. I just get a feeling with her."

"Really?" Emily asked. "Are your feelings usually right?"

"Don't know. Never had gaydar before," she replied. Emily's face fell. "Look. You really want my advice?"

"Probably not."

"Be honest about your feelings."

"Honest? Just go up and be like 'hey Paige, we have to share a room and all, but I'm falling in love with you.' Yeah, that would go real well."

"Falling in love?" Hanna exclaimed.

"Shhh! What did you think I meant?"

"I thought you just meant you wanted to fuck her. Not that you actually loved her."

"Well….. I do. I've never felt like this about anyone," she replied, thinking of the way she felt warm and indescribably happy when she was with Paige. Hanna grinned.

"That's so cute."

"You can't tell anyone."

"I won't. But I think you should."

"Maybe. When the time is right."

"Pussy."

"What if she thinks I'm a perv? And wants to move out?"

"She doesn't seem like she would do that."

"Still. We have a great friendship and I would hate to throw that away."

"Whatever," Hanna sighed dramatically. "Do you want me to talk to her? See if I can get some information about her and Caleb?"

"She talks to me about Caleb. I don't think she's secretly repulsed by him."

"Too bad."

"Don't talk to her about it. She'll probably figure out I have some stupid school girl crush."

"I can't blame you," Hanna replied. "She is pretty hot."

"She's more than hot."

"This is so cute!"

"Stop," she whined. "Don't you have thirty pages to read in five minutes?"

"Right."

Hanna buried her face in her textbook. Emily sat thinking about Paige. Her beautiful brown eyes, her long brown hair. She had the sweetest smile, too. She kept thinking about the way she had leaned into her without realizing it last night during the movie, as if looking for comfort. She hadn't drawn attention to it, not wanting to make her feel awkward, but she loved it. She loved her.

* * *

"I'm glad we could be partners," Aria told Paige as they pulled their goggles and lab coats on for general chemistry lab. Having a lot of the same classes, Aria had become a good friend, and her quiet, calm personality made her very easy to talk to. It was funny that she and Hanna were roommates because they were so different, but they seemed to get along well. And when Paige and Emily got together with them, they always had fun together.

"Me, too," Paige agreed. "Let's just try not to make anything explode."

Aria laughed. Paige smiled, opening her lab manual. This was the first day of real experiments, and even though she should be excited, she was distracted. She kept thinking about Emily, how they had sat so close last night. She had wanted to touch her, to hold her hand, but somehow she had kept herself from doing so. She was so confused. Afraid. She wanted to tell someone what she was feeling, but she didn't know who. Certainly not Emily. She had wondered earlier in high school if it was possible she was a lesbian, but she had dismissed the idea several times. Now, the nagging thought was coming back, and it was stronger than ever.

Spencer was waiting for her when she got out of lab. She suggested they go to the dining hall for lunch, so she agreed, saying good bye to Aria, who was headed for another class. They sat at a table near the back, and Paige could tell by the look on Spencer's face there was something she wanted to talk about. She folded her arms, looking at her friend.

"Okay. What?"

"What do you mean?" Spencer asked innocently. Paige rolled her eyes.

"You're giving me that look. What's going on?"

Spencer shifted uncomfortably. Paige kept staring.

"Okay. Don't get mad, but I want to ask you something."

"What?"

"Do you….. do you have a crush on Emily?"

"What? No," Paige answered immediately. Spencer's expression didn't change. "I'm dating Caleb. I'm straight."

"Okay."

"Okay? Damn right."

"Paige, relax. I was only-."

"I need to go," she replied, jumping up. Spencer looked surprised as she picked up her full plate of food.

"But-."

"I just remembered. I have stuff to do."

She hurried out of the dining hall, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. What was wrong with her? Why had she panicked so much when Spencer had asked her such a simple question? If the answer was truly no, she wouldn't have reacted that way. She was sure her friend knew it.

She definitely had feelings for Emily. And the harder she tried to fight them, the stronger they became. Especially last night, when they had been sitting so close when they were watching the movie. She wanted to do that again, to have Emily so close to her.

She stood outside the dining hall, taking a deep breath. Once she had regained her composure, she decided to head back to the room and change into her running clothes. A run would help clear her head. If nothing else, she would stop feeling like she needed to cry. So she started on her way back to the dorm, thinking of Emily the whole time.

* * *

After having a quick dinner with Hanna, Emily was finally ready to head back to her dorm. It was another warm, humid September evening, and she was looking forward to the air conditioning that was awaiting her in the comfort of her room. She hoped Paige was back, because she wanted another moment like last night. They hadn't wanted to go to bed. When the movie had ended, they had stayed up for hours talking, and she loved it. She was afraid to hope Paige could like her like that, but she did love the friendship they had.

The sun was setting as she approached their building. She let herself in and took the stairs, already thinking about a nice, cool shower. It had been a long day, and she was so glad it was finally Friday so they could sleep in and just hang out. She opened the door, walked inside, and stopped short.

Paige was standing there, completely naked. Her hair was wet and her towel was on the bed, so Emily assumed she had just gotten out of the shower. Paige looked slightly surprised to see her, and it wouldn't have been so bad if she had been able to look away. But all she could do was stare, her eyes fixed on Paige's perfect figure. Her small but pert breasts, her tight stomach, the small patch of light hair that covered her center. Her skin looked like cream that would be absolutely heaven to touch. She was even more beautiful than Emily had thought she would be.

"Oh," she choked out, finally tearing her eyes away. "God, I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Paige replied calmly, pulling her shorts on. If she was creeped out by Emily's reaction, she didn't let on. "Nothing you haven't seen before, right?"

"I am so, so sorry. I should have knocked," she replied, her cheeks red with embarrassment. She had seen her roommate naked, and what was worse, she hadn't been able to look away. And Paige knew it. "I'll let you change."

"Em-."

She closed the door, standing out in the hallway as she tried to process what had happened. She couldn't get the image of her standing there with nothing on, body wet from the shower out of her head. It was definitely the most perfect thing she had ever seen.

She wanted to go back in, but she was embarrassed. So instead she knocked on Hanna and Aria's door.

"What's up?" Hanna asked when she opened it.

"Can I come in? I'm having a crisis."

"Sure thing."

Emily stepped into the room. Aria was on her bed doing homework, but she figured it didn't matter if she heard this. Hanna had probably already told her about her feelings for Paige, and Aria didn't seem like the type to go telling other people's secrets.

"I saw Paige naked," she blurted. Hanna squealed, clapping her hands.

"That's awesome! How?"

"It was after a shower, Hanna. Nothing exciting. But I…. I stared. I couldn't look away."

"That's awkward," Aria chimed in.

"What do I do?" she asked helplessly as Hanna burst into laughter. "How do I face her? She probably thinks I'm a perv!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Aria told her as Hanna snorted with laughter. "Paige doesn't have a problem with you being gay. I'm sure she knows she's hot. She probably knows you're into her."

"No way. Paige isn't like that," Emily replied. "She's sweet, and modest, and-."

"Oh my God," Hanna laughed. "You are so whipped."

"I know," she groaned. "What am I going to do?"

"March back in there and act like nothing happened," Aria replied. "It's all you can do."

"What if she wants to change roommates?"

"She won't. You're being baby," Hanna replied. Emily sighed.

"I just don't want to freak her out."

"Em, I'm sure she's secretly turned on by you," Aria told her. "Even if she doesn't show it. Just act normal. Paige is cool."

"Yeah," she agreed. "I guess you're right."

"Before you go," Hanna started, grinning. "Does she have a good body?"

"Amazing," Emily sighed. "Why do so many girls have to be straight?"

"To torture you," Hanna replied. "But like I said, she sets off my gaydar."

"Is your gaydar accurate?" Aria asked.

"I don't know. I've never had it before."

"Okay. I'm going back," Emily announced. "Thanks for letting me vent."

"Remember, act natural," Aria called as she left.

Emily stood outside of their room, taking a deep breath. She walked in, offering Paige an awkward smile. She was fully dressed now, sitting on the bed with her biology textbook. She looked so beautiful, even with a towel wrapped around her head.

"Hey," she started meekly.

"Emily, it's okay," Paige told her, immediately setting to work to make her feel less embarrassed. "It's not a big deal. We're both girls. I'm not ashamed of my body."

"I just….. you might feel like I was…. staring?"

"You probably weren't expecting to see me standing there naked like that. It's no big."

Emily nodded. Sure, they would go with that explanation.

"Well, I'm really sorry."

"I know. But you don't need to be."

Emily couldn't help but smile. Paige really was the sweetest person she had ever met.

"Thanks. Next time I'll knock."

"Don't worry about it," she laughed, closing her book. "I've never been the modest type. My parents used to think I was going to become a nudist."

Emily laughed. Paige grinned, stretching out on her bed.

"So, what do you want to do on this lovely Friday evening while everyone else is getting drunk?"

"Something that won't give us a hangover," she replied. Paige grinned.

"Well, there is a party tomorrow at the frat house. If you want to go."

"Sure," she replied. If Paige wanted to go with her, then she would go.

"Cool. You want to watch another horror movie and eat junk food?"

"Of course."

While Paige was getting the movie set up, Emily's phone began buzzing. She didn't know who would be calling her at this hour, but she answered anyway, thinking maybe it was her dad.

"Hello?"

No one answered. She frowned, trying to decide if she heard someone breathing on the other end.

"Hello?" she repeated. Paige turned and looked at her.

"Who is that?"

"I don't know. But someone's there. I can hear breathing. Who is this?" she asked her patience fading.

"Hang up," Paige told her, sitting next to her. "It's probably just a prank call."

So she hung up. But she felt uneasy, and she wasn't sure why. It was probably a wrong number and the person was too embarrassed to say something.

"That was creepy," she remarked.

"Em, it was probably some dumb kids. Maybe some of the guys we know."

"Maybe."

"Don't worry about it," Paige told her gently. "Okay?"

"Yeah. Okay."

"I'll tell you what," Paige started, popping a handful of cheese-its into her mouth. "Why don't I give you a famous McCullers backrub to relax you?"

"What?" Emily asked, unsure of if she heard right. Had Paige just asked to give her a backrub?

"Yeah. I can give really great ones," she replied. They looked into one another's eyes for a moment. Neither one looked away.

"Okay," Emily finally said. "Sure."

She laid on her stomach while Paige positioned herself at her back, trying not to show how excited she was to have the other girl's hands on her. She wasn't that worried about the phone call and she wasn't sure why Paige was insisting on giving her a backrub, but she wasn't about to complain. Could it be Paige wanted to give her the backrub? No. She was being too hopeful.

She hadn't been kidding when she had said she gave a great backrub. Emily was grateful she couldn't tell how aroused she was, and she felt guilty about that. But what Paige didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

"Feel better?" she asked as she continued to rub Emily's back.

"Yeah," she replied, and it was true. That was what being with Paige did to her.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Let me know if I am leaving out any characters you would like to see, and I will try to incorporate them in. I have a pretty clear idea of where I want this to go, so feel free to let me know what you think of it! Enjoy the chapter :)**

September 16

The next night, they decided to go out. There was a big party at the frat house just off campus, and everyone was going. Paige and Emily had spent a while getting ready, frequently changing outfits and questioning if they would attract too much attention. Emily didn't know about Paige, but she wasn't particularly interested in attention from frat boys. So she opted for the jeans over cut off shorts.

She was in high spirits. She and Paige had a really special friendship, and she had thoroughly enjoyed the back rub Paige had given her the night before. She still wasn't entirely sure what had prompted her roommate to make the offer, given she really hadn't been upset about the mystery phone call. It was almost as if Paige had been looking for an excuse to touch her. She decided it was nothing more than wishful thinking.

Her good mood was ruined when Paige asked if Caleb could come along with them. He was in the area, she explained, and she wanted him to meet some of her friends. Emily wanted to roll her eyes and say no, it wasn't okay. But of course, she couldn't do that without admitting why. Or without hurting Paige's feelings. So she had no choice but to smile and say sure, it was no big deal for him to come along. They waited for him to show up before heading to the party, Emily trying not to show how pissed off she was. The walk there was torture, as she was forced to listen to cute stories about them from high school and watch Caleb touch Paige in ways she so desperately wanted to. She wanted to be the one to hold her around her waist, or kiss the side of her face. Yeah, that was another thing. She didn't particularly like watching them kiss, either.

Once they got to the party, Emily was in a horrible mood. She felt absolutely terrible for being so jealous, but she just couldn't help it. Everyone around her was so happy, cheerful, and she just felt like bursting into tears.

"That is so cute!" Hanna was gushing, her cup already empty. "I need to see your prom pictures!"

"I have them right here on my phone," Caleb replied. "Here. Isn't she beautiful?"

"So beautiful!" Hanna exclaimed. "Em, look!"

"Very nice," Emily replied, not sounding at all like she meant it. Hanna and Spencer looked at her while Paige took a giant gulp of her beer.

"Are you okay, Emily?" Spencer asked.

"I'm fine. I'm getting another drink," she replied, walking away before she could even see the devastated look on Paige's face.

She wandered aimlessly around downstairs. She had no one else to talk to, and she didn't feel like going back to her friends just to see Caleb with his hands all over Paige. She thought about just leaving, but that would definitely raise eyebrows. As it was, she would already have to come up with an excuse for her behavior. She could just say she wasn't feeling well, but she didn't know if Paige would buy that. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt her roommate's feelings, and she cursed her inability to hold in her anger.

She sat down on one of the couches to sulk. She hadn't been there long when a young male who looked to be around her age sat down next to her. He had the bluest eyes she had ever seen, and he looked nice enough. She hoped he wasn't a creep, because she certainly wasn't in the mood.

"You look miserable," he remarked. She chuckled.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Yeah. You look like your dog died or something."

"I do feel pretty shitty," she admitted glumly. He smiled kindly at her.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked. She didn't know why, but she felt comfortable with him, even though she had literally known him for a minute. So she decided to just get her feelings off of her chest.

"It's my roommate," she started. "She's so beautiful and smart and perfect….. I'm in love with her. She's here with her boyfriend, and I guess I got kind of jealous. I kind of made an ass of myself."

"Girl trouble, huh? Same here."

"Is she gay? That would be ironic."

"No," he laughed. He paused. "At least, I don't think so. She just doesn't know I exist. She's really smart and sophisticated. Way out of my league."

"Who is she? Maybe I know her."

"Spencer Hastings. You know, the swimmer McCullers' friend."

"I know her!" Emily exclaimed. "And Paige McCullers is my roommate. She's the girl."

"Small world," he observed. "I don't blame you. She's cute."

"She's more than cute," Emily sighed. "She's the sweetest girl I've ever met."

"I wish I could help you out."

"I don't think you can," she sighed. "But I can definitely introduce you to Spencer."

"I don't know. What if she thinks I'm a dork?"

"She won't! Come on, let me introduce you. What's your name?"

"Toby. Toby Cavanaugh."

"It's nice to meet you, Toby. I'm Emily Fields."

"Nice meeting you, too. I'm sorry about the roommate thing."

Emily shrugged. She was, too.

"That's part of the fun of being a lesbian, I guess. Most of the girls you want you can never have."

She talked to him for a while, and she felt much better. She was glad to have both made a new friend and found someone to vent to. He seemed like a really nice guy, too. He agreed to meeting her for coffee the next day, where they would "conveniently" run into Spencer. She wished her Paige problem was that simple.

* * *

Paige was depressed. She knew exactly why Emily had stormed off like that. She had feelings for her. That pained her to know, because she returned those feelings. She was just too afraid to admit them. But she was also afraid that if she didn't, Emily would eventually grow to hate her, even if that fear was irrational. She would always get annoyed when Caleb was around, and eventually they would start to drift apart. No more late nights giggling like little girls at camp. No more movies and junk food and back rubs. No more friendship. The thought brought tears to her eyes, and she downed her fifth cup of beer.

At this point, she was more than buzzed. She was starting to feel really emotional and her stomach was beginning to hurt, but she didn't care. All she wanted was Emily back at her side, like she was when Caleb wasn't around.

Caleb. It was all his fault, wasn't it? He was the reason Emily was mad at her. He was the reason she felt too guilty and afraid to admit her true feelings. Yes, it was all his fault. She glared at him, thrusting her cup into his hand.

"I want more."

"I think you've had enough, babe," he replied, noting the glazed look in his girlfriend's eyes. She scowled.

"Fine! Then I'll get it myself," she snapped, snatching the cup back. Spencer grabbed her arm.

"Paige, you've really had enough."

"Stop being such a prude and let go of me."

"No. Caleb, take her back. Please."

"Fuck you, Spencer."

"You'll thank me in the morning."

"Come on," Caleb told her gently, leading her outside. The night was warm and muggy, as it had been every night since they had gotten here. Paige impatiently swatted at a mosquito that landed on her arm. "What's gotten into you tonight? Why were you so rude to Spencer?"

"She's mean," she slurred, kicking at the ground. "You're all mean."

"Okay, we definitely need to get you home."

"It's your fault Emmy's mad at me," she accused.

"What?"

Even though she was drunk, she knew she was being mean. And she didn't care. She was tired of not being able to be who she was and resentful to him for it. And once it started, she couldn't stop it.

"It's all your fault."

"Is she going to be back soon? I don't want to leave you alone."

Paige didn't answer. All she could think about was how much she missed Emily. She wanted her. And just like that, she had an idea.

"Caleb!" she exclaimed, grabbing him. They were approaching the dorm.

"Yeah?"

"Let's have sex."

"No way. You're smashed."

"I am not," she pouted. She folded her arms. "Don't you love me?"

"Of course," he sighed. "But that would be taking advantage-."

"Pweeeeeese?" she interrupted, grabbing his arm as she almost fell.

He nodded, accepting defeat. She somehow made it upstairs, fumbling with the lock before opening the door. Emily wasn't back yet.

"We need to hurry," she told him, drunkenly ripping off her clothes. "We need to get done by….. when… uh…"

"Paige….. I don't feel right about this. You're too drunk."

She pouted. He sighed, moving closer.

"I'll tell you what. I'll do something for you. Good enough?"

She nodded eagerly, hopping on the bed and spreading her legs for him. As she closed her eyes, she thought of Emily, and what it would be like to make love to her. Perfect. It would be perfect, just like Emily.

Being drunk always made her horny, and that combined with the thought of Emily helped her reach her climax in no time. And as she did, she made a colossal mistake.

"Emily," she moaned as she came, completely forgetting Caleb was even there. He pulled away, hurt and confused.

"What did you say?"

The door flew open. Emily stood there, frozen at the sight of Caleb between Paige's legs. Just when she had been starting to feel better.

"I'll come back later."

"No," she begged, pushing Caleb away. "Don't leave me again. Stay."

"Paige," Emily started, but she couldn't leave after hearing her roommate's heartbroken plea. She felt guilty again for abandoning her at the party.

"Leave," she told Caleb. "You're making Em uncomfertble."

He nodded and started for the door. Emily gave him an apologetic smile as he left, closing the door behind him. She made her way over to Paige, who was curled up naked on her bed.

"You want to put some clothes on?" Emily asked. She felt guilty about sneaking a peek when the poor girl was so drunk.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed. "Don't be mad at me."

"Mad at you?" Emily asked, not sure it was possible to feel any guiltier. Of course she would think that with the childish way she had acted earlier. "Sweetie, I'm not mad at you."

"Promise? At the party I thought you were mad at me."

"Promise. I was just cranky. I wasn't mad at you."

"Good," Paige replied. But then to Emily's surprise, she burst into tears.

"Paige?"

"I want to break up with Caleb," she sobbed. "I don't love him. He's so good to me and I feel so guilty… the sex is terrible. You know I almost never come?"

"Okay. I think you need to sleep," she replied, pulling her blanket over her drunken roommate. She thought she'd be happier to hear that Paige wasn't in love with Caleb, but she hated seeing her so upset. Besides, loving someone was about wanting them to be happy. And she was determined to support any relationship Paige had in the future.

"I'm not tired," she protested.

"Listen to me, Paige," she started gently. "You deserve to be happy. If breaking up with Caleb is what you need to do, then do it."

"It would hurt him so much."

"And what about you? You need to think of yourself, too," Emily reminded her, turning off the light. "Good night."

Paige was already asleep.

* * *

The next morning when Emily came back from the dining hall, Paige was sitting over the garbage can, her eyes closed. Emily moved closer, crouching beside her as she gently pushed hair away from her face.

"Paige?"

"Don't look," she pleaded, covering the garbage can. "My organs are in there."

"Oh, Paige…. I brought you a bagel and some juice. Once you have something in your stomach you'll feel better."

"I'm never drinking again."

"Sure."

"How awful was I last night?"

"You were fine."

"Oh no. You saw me and Caleb…"

"It's not a big deal, Paige," Emily assured her, opening the juice. "You looked done."

Paige groaned. Emily chuckled, patting her back to assure her it was okay.

"Em, I'm so sorry."

"It's cool, Paige. Really. But… do you remember what you said? About Caleb?"

"Yes," she whispered. "I said I wanted to break up with him. That I don't love him." She paused. "I don't."

"He needs to know that, then," Emily told her gently. "It isn't fair to either of you to keep it going if you aren't happy."

"Yeah," Paige replied, giving her a sad smile. "I guess not."

"Let me get rid of this for you," Emily offered, lifting the garbage can. The unpleasant smell of alcohol, pizza, and stomach acid met her nose. "Don't protest. Start sipping the juice, okay? I'll be right back."

Paige nodded, reaching for the juice. Emily opened the door.

"Wait."

"Yeah?" she asked, turning around.

"Are we okay?" she asked hopefully. Emily smiled and nodded.

"We're perfect."


	5. Chapter 5

September 18

It was Monday evening, and Paige was on her bed, doing homework when her phone vibrated on her desk. She had gotten back from classes not long before, and she was waiting for Emily to come back to see if she wanted to go to dinner. While she waited, she figured she may as well get some studying for her chemistry exam the next day out of the way.

She was grateful things were still the same between her and Emily. She was worried Emily would be angry at her after the party, but thankfully, she hadn't been. She had been very sweet and understanding about her hangover the next day, too. She didn't remember much during or after the party, but she was pretty sure she had made an ass of herself, and she was glad Emily hadn't been around to see. Spencer hadn't said anything about her behavior, but she had apologized just in case. She knew, and she was pretty sure Spencer knew too, that she had acted the way she had because she was angry at herself for being too afraid to admit her true feelings. Seeing Emily jealous had just made things worse, because it had confirmed Emily wanted her and the only thing stopping them from having more than friendship was her. The thought was too much to bear. But, at least for the time being Emily was perfectly happy about just being her friend. That bought her some time.

She got up and went to her desk where her phone was charging, looking to see who the message was from. It was Caleb, asking if they could talk. He had been very distant since the party the other night, not talking to her at all since except to politely ask her yesterday how she was feeling over text. He hadn't called or dropped by. She couldn't remember, but she wondered if she had done something to offend him.

She was about to reply, to tell him they could talk, when Emily came back from class. She smiled warmly at Paige, dropping her backpack down on her bed.

"Hey, Paige."

"Hi. How was class?"

"Long," she sighed. "Philosophy has to be the most pointless thing ever."

"Why's that? I've never taken it."

"We spent a whole class talking about whether tables exist, Paige. An entire class."

Paige laughed, her text message completely forgotten. That did sound pretty pointless.

"Wow."

"I'm starving. You want to run to the dining hall and eat dinner?"

"I would love to," Paige replied, thrilled she had asked. "Just let me pee real quick."

As she started down the hallway, she suddenly remembered her boyfriend's text. She sighed, pulling out her phone. She definitely wanted to eat dinner with Emily. Caleb could wait. So she texted him that she was busy, feeling terrible. She quickly shook him from her mind, wanting to enjoy the evening with her roommate.

They went to the dining hall, just the two of them, and sat at a table near the back. They both decided on sandwiches, fruit, and chocolate ice cream for dessert. Paige wasn't sure if maybe college was making her crazy, but she was sure she had never seen anyone so beautiful as Emily sat there, wiping mustard from her chin. Was it normal to be amazed by someone's beauty when their lower face was covered in mustard? Not for any crush, no. But maybe for love.

Love. That was what she was feeling as she looked at Emily. As much as it terrified her to admit it, she couldn't keep from doing so any longer. She was in love with the girl.

"Paige?"

"Huh?" she asked, snapping back to attention. Emily was smiling at her, and Paige was suddenly embarrassed, realizing Emily had probably been calling her the whole time she had been lost in thought. "Sorry," she replied, hoping Emily didn't know what she had been so focused on. "What were you saying?"

"I was asking you when your big chem exam was."

"Oh. Tomorrow."

"Are you ready?"

"I think so," she replied, taking a bite of her sandwich. "I've only read the chapter ten times."

"You're got this," Emily told her confidently. "I mean, you said you got A's all through high school, right?"

"Well, yeah. But that was high school."

"So? Don't sell yourself short, Paige. That's a huge accomplishment."

Paige blushed. She always did when Emily complimented her. She hated it, but she couldn't help it. Emily made her feel a crazy range of emotions on a daily basis. And they were getting harder and harder to hide.

"Thanks, Em."

"I always tell people how talented my roommate is," she continued. "Good grades, champion swimmer….."

"Em," she groaned. Emily laughed.

"What? You need to learn to be proud of yourself, Paige. You… you're the daughter my mom wishes she had," she added quietly. Paige took her hand.

"Oh, Emily."

"It's true. You're smart, well-rounded… straight."

"Emily, your mother loves you."

"You don't know the things she said," she replied, looking away. Paige bit her lip, debating if she should tell Emily she didn't think she was straight. Maybe it would make her feel less rejected.

"I'm sorry," she said instead, cursing herself for her stupid response. But Emily smiled, the light coming back to her eyes.

"Thanks, Paige. I know I have a sad story, but I've really been so happy since coming here. I've met the most amazing people who like me for who I am. This place is everything I dreamed it would be."

"Good," she replied, smiling. "I'm really glad to hear that."

"Paige?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad we're roommates."

"I am, too," Paige agreed, and even though it had certainly come with its complications, she was.

After they had finished eating, they decided to go for a walk around campus. It was the first cool evening since they had arrived at school, and there was even a gentle breeze. Paige almost took Emily's hand as they were walking, before realizing what she was about to do and quickly stuffing them in her pockets.

"It's so nice out," Emily remarked as they walked past the student center.

"It is," Paige agreed. "I-."

"What is she doing here?" Emily asked suddenly, her tone sharp. Paige followed her gaze and saw a young blonde girl, probably about their age, walking towards them.

"Who is that?"

"Alison?" Emily asked. Paige bit back a sneer as the girl approached them.

"Emily."

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing," she replied, shrugging. Emily stared at her in disbelief.

"What the hell? We haven't spoken since June! And now you just show up here to see how I'm doing?"

Paige looked away, uncomfortable. She felt bad seeing Emily so upset, and she was already annoyed at this girl. Her reaction showed things between them had ended badly.

"That was your idea, Emily."

"Because you completely fucked me over! You never cared about me then and you don't care about me now. Leave."

"Please, Emily," Alison sighed. "I just want to talk."

"I'm busy," she snapped. For the first time, Alison seemed to notice Paige standing there. She stopped and looked her over, a sneer crossing her face.

"Who's this?" she asked, her tone sweet. Paige thought it sounded completely fake.

"My roommate. Paige."

"Yeah. You're 'roommate,'" Alison replied, using air quotes around the word "roommate." "You're unbelievable, Emily."

"How am I unbelievable? You made it clear you didn't care about me. What was I supposed to do, just sit around and serve you?"

They were starting to attract attention. People were starting to stare, whispering to one another as they watched.

"I thought you'd come back," Alison admitted. "And instead you're here parading around with this whore!"

"Excuse me?" Paige cut in, her temper flaring. "I don't know who you think you are, but you have no right to just show up here and harass her like this. If she wants you to leave, you better leave."

"Or what?" Alison asked, stepping closer to her. Paige clenched her fists, fighting against the urge to punch the girl in the face.

"Just leave her alone. She's not your concern."

"She's not yours, either! Stay out of this!"

"Don't talk to her like that!" Emily snapped. "Come on, Paige. Let's get out of here."

They started walking past her, not missing the furious look on Alison's face. Paige had gotten the impression things hadn't ended well for them, but she hadn't expected Alison to be such a terror. Emily looked livid, and that only made her dislike her ex even more.

"This isn't over!" Alison shouted as they walked. They didn't turn around.

They walked in silence to their dorm. Paige let them in and they went up to their room, Emily chewing on her lip. When they got inside their room, Paige pulled her in for a hug.

"I'm sorry, Em."

"Who the fuck does she think she is, just showing up here like that? We haven't spoken in months and now she thinks she's just going to drop in and everything's going to be fine."

"Pretty nervy," Paige agreed.

"And you know what? She doesn't want me back because she loves me. She wants me back because she knows I'm a sap and I'll do everything she wants. That's all she was ever after."

"You deserve better than that, Em," Paige told her gently. "You really do."

"I mean, we didn't go out that long. Just a couple months. We never…. we never even slept together."

Paige was glad to hear that. Emily was way above that girl.

"If you don't mind me saying, I'm glad to hear that."

Emily chuckled. Paige sat down next to her.

"Yeah. I'm glad we didn't. I want to be with someone who loves me for me, you know? Not just because they can take advantage of me."

"Yeah," Paige agreed. She swallowed hard, overcome by the urge to kiss her. "If we're sharing, I think I remember saying the other night I hate having sex with Caleb."

Emily laughed. Paige smiled, having to admit it was a little funny she said that drunk. It was either laugh or cry.

"You did."

"We've been doing it since the beginning of junior year. I was always told it would get better, but it never really did. I just did it because I felt like I had to, you know? I didn't want to let him down." She paused. "Sorry. Was that too much?"

"No," Emily assured her. "But I really wish you'd start thinking more of yourself and less of others. You deserve to feel good and be happy. Maybe he's just not the right guy."

"Yeah," she replied, looking down at the ground. That was for sure. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"If you didn't have sex with Alison… have you ever? Had sex, I mean."

"Yes. There was a girl my junior year, named Samara. I met her at a pride group in my town. We were together for about eight months. We slept together, and then she cheated on me."

"Wow," Paige replied. She couldn't believe a girl as beautiful and sweet as Emily had such a horrible relationship past. "You deserve so much better than that, Em. Someone who can treat you like the sun rises and sets with you."

"Thanks," Emily replied, and Paige was fully aware she was staring at her lips. "You do, too."

"We both do," Paige agreed, terrified they were going to kiss. But she couldn't pull away.

"Yeah," Emily whispered. Paige swore she was starting to move in when the door flew open.

"Hey, guys?" Hanna asked. "Do either of you have an extra bar of soap?"

"Sure," Paige replied, jumping up. Hanna's eyes widened as she looked at Emily, who was glaring at her.

"Uh. Was I interrupting something?"

"No," Emily replied curtly. "Why don't you just buy a bar of soap at the school store."

"I don't want to walk all the way over there," Hanna whined. Paige laughed, handing her a bar of soap.

"Here you go, Han."

"You're a lifesaver, Paige. See you tomorrow, Em," Hanna added sheepishly. Emily rolled her eyes.

"She's a character," Paige remarked as Hanna closed the door.

"Yeah," Emily sighed. That was one way of putting it. "You want to watch a movie or something?"

"Sounds great to me."

So they settled together on Emily's bed. Although they didn't resume back to where they had been before Hanna had come in, they were sitting close, and it gave Emily the hope she needed not to give up.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! I love hearing what you think! Also, thank you to the reviewer who said they like things are moving fairly slowly. I did want to give their relationship time to develop, but that being said, things will start picking up very soon ;) Enjoy!**

September 19

Tuesday afternoon, Paige was hanging out with Spencer on the patio outside of the student center. It was a nice late summer day, warm but not unbearable to be out in. There was even a faint breeze every so often.

But Paige wasn't enjoying the weather or listening to Spencer complain about her lab report for chemistry. All she could think about was Emily, and how she was certain if Hanna hadn't interrupted the night before, they would have kissed. The thought was both exciting and terrifying. On the one hand, her feelings would be out in the open and she wouldn't have to hide them anymore. But on the other, she would finally have to be honest and open and she wasn't sure if she was ready to do that. She wanted Emily so badly it hurt, and she knew that if she was ever going to have a chance at real happiness, she was going to have to be brave.

She knew Emily wanted her, too. She had made that abundantly clear by her jealously towards Caleb, her stolen glances, and the way she had talked to her last night. She had a chance at the girl she had fallen so hard for. So why couldn't she just admit her true feelings?

"Paige!" Spencer snapped, startling her to attention. "Are you even listening to me?"

"What?" Paige asked, dazed. "Sorry."

"I've been ranting for five minutes about my lab report and you-."

"I'm sorry," she replied. "Really. I'm just distracted."

"About what?" Spencer asked, her expression softening. Paige's stomach turned when she realized her friend knew exactly what she was distracted about.

"Stuff."

"Caleb stuff?"

"Yeah," she replied. It wasn't a lie. Caleb was part of what she was upset about.

"Have you talked since the party?"

"Not really. He asked me how I was feeling Sunday, and then yesterday he asked me if we could talk. I think maybe I said something you hurt his feelings when I was drunk. Do you remember me saying anything?"

"Not to him," she chuckled. Paige sighed.

"Spence, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Paige. You were obviously upset about something. I didn't take it personally. But, if you would like to tell me what inspired you to get so drunk, I would be glad to listen."

Paige didn't answer. She looked down at her phone, trying to think of a good excuse that Spencer would buy. Her friend was smart, and she was already pretty sure she knew about her feelings for Emily. But she wasn't ready to confirm them. So she decided to discuss the other thing bothering her.

"I think I want to break up with Caleb."

"Oh, Paige," Spencer replied, looking surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah. I don't… I don't love him. I already talked to Emily about it, and she said it's not fair for either of us if we stay in a relationship."

"She's right," Spencer agreed. "Paige, why didn't you tell me? How long have you felt this way?"

"The whole two years," she admitted.

"Paige!"

"I thought I would grow to love him. He's been so good to me, and I just….. I don't want to break his heart."

"Jesus, Paige. You've been together since you were fifteen and you never loved him? Why didn't you just break it off early?"

"I don't know," she replied, and she really didn't. She hung her head. "I'm fucked."

"Yeah, you are. Not in a good way, either."

"What should I do?"

"You know what you need to do," Spencer replied. "That's all I'm going to say."

She left Spencer a little while later, knowing what she needed to do. But did she have the courage to do it? That was the big question. She knew she didn't love Caleb, and she knew Emily was attracted to her. She was attracted to Emily. The decision was obvious.

"Paige."

She turned around. Caleb was coming towards her, and he didn't look happy.

"Caleb," she replied, unable to hide her surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk," he replied, folding his arms. "Now."

"Caleb, you can't just-."

"Do you want to break up?" he asked. Her eyes widened.

"What?"

"Do you want to break up? You treated me like a leper at that party, and then after…. yesterday we needed to talk and you totally blew me off. To hang out with Emily, I assume?"

"Emily has nothing to do with this."

"Emily has everything to do with this," he replied, raising his voice. "Do you think I'm stupid, Paige?"

"No, of course not."

"Do you know what you said?" he asked, growing quieter. "When I was going down on you?"

"What?" she asked. She didn't even remember him going down on her.

"When you came, you said Emily's name. Clear as day. At first I tried to tell myself I had misheard. But there's no way I did."

Paige stared at Caleb in horror, the color draining from her face. There was no way he was making that up. She must have really said it, and if she did, he knew. He knew she was in love with Emily.

"Caleb," she whispered. She felt sick.

"Would it really have been hard to be honest with me, Paige? Told me you didn't want me to come to the party because you wanted to hook up with your-."

"Shut up!" she replied, starting to lose her temper. "I don't know what you're implying, but you're wrong!"

"Oh," he laughed, his tone cruel. He sneered at her. "So you just call out your friends' names during sex for fun? Because I've never heard you-."

"Stop it!" she pleaded, unable to stop the tears from coming. She was embarrassed, terrified, and guilty. He knew and there was no way to deny it. "How dare you?"

"What, Paige? What the fuck did I do?"

She turned away, crying too hard to answer. He shook his head, his expression softening.

"I'll give you some time to think," he replied. "You know where to find me."

He walked away from her, leaving her standing there in tears. She sank down against the brick building, burying her face in her arms as she cried and cried. She didn't care if people saw. She was too upset with herself to care about anything at the moment. Caleb probably hated her now, and if she didn't tell Emily how she really felt, she would lose her, too. And then she would have nothing.

* * *

"Read all of act three for homework," Professor Johnson told Emily's Tuesday evening Ancient Literature class. "I expect your summaries Thursday evening, type written and at least a page. Have a good evening."

Emily quickly packed her bag up and left, glad to finally be out of there. She was regretting the late class; she almost fell asleep during every one. Being that it ended at seven, she was always hungry, tired, and not in the mood for class.

She decided to just grab something quick on the way back that she could eat in her room. She didn't feel like stopping for a full meal at the dining hall, and she would have no one to eat with anyway. So she stopped for a bagel and a fruit cup at the small stand in the lobby and started on her way back to the dorm.

It was mostly dark. Campus was fairly empty, since the weather had turned chilly and rainy, and she didn't see more than a few people walking around. The thought that she was most alone creeped her out, and she began walking faster as a steady gust of wind blew past her.

At first she thought the footsteps behind her were just her imagination. She didn't even turn around, because she was sure she was just inventing them because she was creeped out about walking in the dark. But then, as her fear increased, her doubt that they were imaginary set in. She turned around, and saw a dark, hooded figure walking a little ways behind her, head down. She stopped, her heart rate increasing. It was probably just a student. Yeah, that's all it was. But regardless she began walking faster, trying to ignore that the footsteps behind her sped up with her. Her thoughts went back to the strange phone call she had gotten a few days earlier. Was there any way that was linked to the person walking so rapidly behind her? Or was she just being ridiculous?

She was nearly sprinting now. She took the risk of looking behind her, only to see that she was still being followed by the hooded figure. She thought about yelling for help, or dialing the campus police on the callbox she was approaching. But what would she say? "Another student is walking back from class and I'm scared?" There was no way they would take her seriously. Besides, she was pretty sure she was just scaring herself. She was almost back to her dorm. She could make it.

She hurried up the steps to Rutherford Hall. As she let herself in she turned and looked out of the window on the door, watching as the hooded figure stopped on the top of the stairs and stared after her. She couldn't see a face, but she was convinced now that the person had been following her. She didn't know who it was or why, but it terrified her.

She hurried up the stairs. Paige was probably back, so she could talk to her and ask her advice. Or, at least she hoped she was back. She didn't want to be there by herself.

She burst into the room, relieved to see Paige sitting on her bed. Her biology book was open next to her, but she wasn't reading it. She looked like she had been crying.

"Paige?" she asked, closing the door. "Are you okay?"

"I think I broke up with Caleb," she replied, reaching for a tissue. Emily sat down next to her, pulling her in for a hug.

"Oh, Paige. I'm sorry, sweetie."

"It's okay," she sniffed. "It needed to happen. It's not that I'm upset that not dating him anymore. I just feel so guilty. Like I've jipped him out of having a girlfriend who really loved him."

"He'll find that, Paige," Emily assured her. "And you will, too."

"I hope so," she replied, trying not to look into Emily's eyes. "What's up with you? Why did you come running in here like that?"

"I think I was being followed," she replied. Paige raised her eyebrows.

"Really? By who?"

"I don't know. I didn't see a face. But they were wearing a black hoodie and when I got inside the lobby, they just stopped across on the top of the stairs and looked in."

"That's creepy," Paige replied, frowning. "Probably just some dumb college boy thinking he's funny."

"I guess," Emily replied, although she had a strange feeling that wasn't it. That was the second odd thing that had happened in the past week, and she was starting to wonder if it was a coincidence. But if it wasn't, who would be after her? She didn't have any real enemies. At least, she didn't think she did. Maybe Paige was right. Maybe it was someone who liked her, and they were being creepy about it. She could hope, anyway. "Paige, I'm really sorry about you and Caleb. Is there anything I can do?"

"Another hug?" she asked hopefully. Emily smiled and nodded, leaning in to hug her again.

"I'll give you all the hugs you need," she assured her. _And more, if you want it._

"Thanks, Em. I know you'll make me feel better."

"If you want," she started, suddenly seeming nervous. "I can give you a backrub this time. To make you feel better."

Paige nodded. Emily took a deep breath as she rolled onto her stomach, hoping she didn't do anything to make her roommate feel uncomfortable.

She began gently rubbing Paige's lower back, trying to stay away from her bra strap. They stayed in a comfortable silence, and Emily could feel Paige relaxing under her touch. Her skin was just as smooth and perfect under her fingers as she imagined it would be. And as she massaged her back, she couldn't help but wish she could touch her in other more intimate places as well.

"Em?" Paige started, interrupting her dirty thoughts.

"Yeah, Paige?"

"Thank you. For always being so sweet."

"Of course. That's what friends are for."

A loud knock came on the door. Without waiting for any kind of answer, Hanna came barging into the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Oh my God," she whined. "I can't….. what are you two doing?" she asked, suddenly realizing Emily was sitting there rubbing Paige's back.

"Giving Paige a backrub," she replied, trying to sound nonchalant. "She had a rough day."

"What happened?" Hanna asked.

"Caleb and I had a big fight," Paige replied. "I think we're done."

"Oh," Hanna replied, and then she smirked at Emily. "I'm sorry."

"It was a long time coming. It needed to happen."

"Anyone else you're interested in?"

"Hanna," Emily cut in sharply. "Give her time."

"It's okay," Paige laughed. "Yes, Hanna. There is."

"Who?" Hanna asked, her eyes widening. Emily tensed as she waited for an answer.

"Just….. someone," Paige replied. "You'll know eventually."

Hanna winked at Emily. Emily rolled her eyes.

"Don't you have homework, Hanna?"

"Yeah. But I don't want to do it."

"Go do it," Emily replied, giving her a warning look. Hanna grinned.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

She left, leaving the two of them alone again. Emily desperately wanted to know who it was Paige was interested in, although she wasn't going to ask. She wondered if there was any chance at all it was her.


	7. Chapter 7

September 20

The next day in history, Emily told Hanna about being followed back from class. Hanna laughed at her, assuring her she was just being dramatic and that it was nothing to worry about. The logical part of her said the same thing, but she just didn't think that was the case. Paige had suggested the same thing, and she knew there was a chance she was freaking out over nothing, but it really had creeped her out. She was already dreading walking back in the dark tomorrow evening.

"Em, come on," Hanna was saying. "You're being such a drama queen."

"You weren't there. It was scary."

"So carry mace with you."

"I don't know where to get it."

"Aria has some. Ask her."

"Hanna, just listen to me. Something weird is going on."

"You're being ridiculous."

"No more ridiculous than when you were hiding under your bed because you thought we could read your mind."

"I was drunk," she retorted. "That doesn't count."

"Still. I'm being serious."

"Hey, let's talk about Paige," Hanna suggested. "Nice backrub you were giving her last night."

"She was upset."

"I honestly think she likes you, Em. I'm not just saying that."

"You have no idea how much I would love for you to be right," she sighed. She did wonder at times, but then she couldn't decide if it was just wishful thinking.

"I am," Hanna replied confidently. "Hey, did I ever apologize for cockblocking you the other night?"

"No."

"Oh. Sorry."

"I mean, maybe she would have slapped me or something if I had kissed her. But I was leaning in and she didn't try to stop me."

"I'm telling you, she sets off my gaydar," Hanna told her as the professor came into the classroom. Emily just smiled, opening her notebook.

During class, the phone buzzed. Thinking maybe it was Paige, she decided to sneak a peek at it. It wasn't. What she saw sent a shiver down her spine. It was a message from a blocked number, that read nothing but _I'm watching_.

She subtly looked around the room. Had it been sent by someone here? She doubted it. But then who was it from? She didn't understand who was doing this. Maybe a friend messing with her. Maybe some creepy frat guy who had somehow gotten her number. Regardless, it was scaring her and she didn't think it was funny. She decided not to give them the satisfaction of asking who they were. She just ignored them and hoped it would stop.

* * *

After their biology lecture, Paige went with Spencer to start their project on natural selection. She wanted to tell her the truth about her feelings for Emily. It was time for her to start, or she was doomed to a life of lies and unhappiness. And she really didn't want that, especially when she had a girl right by her side who wanted to be with her. There was no choice but to have courage and admit who she really was.

"So, I was thinking we could split the presentation," Spencer told her as they settled at the table. "Like, you do five minutes and I do five minutes."

"Yeah," Paige replied, taking a deep breath. "Spencer… before we start, there's something I need to tell you."

"Okay," Spencer replied, looking concerned. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I just… I need to tell someone this, but I'm scared and it's hard for me to say."

Spencer nodded, setting her pencil down. She looked at her friend expectantly.

"Don't tell anyone, okay? I'll do it when I'm ready."

"I won't. I promise."

Paige took another deep breath, her heart pounding. She couldn't believe she was finally about to say this aloud.

"I have feelings for Emily. Like, romantic feelings."

"I know," Spencer replied. Paige sighed.

"I figured."

"Paige, we've been best friends since preschool. I know you."

"How long have you known?"

"Pretty much since the first week. I see the way you look at her. And the way she looks at you."

"You're okay with it?"

"Of course. I don't care who you love, as long as you're happy. And you clearly weren't with Caleb. I admit, I didn't start thinking you were into girls until Shana moved to Pittsburgh."

"What?" Paige asked in surprise. "How did you know that?"

"Like I said, I know you. Paige… liking girls is nothing to be ashamed of," Spencer told her, taking her hand. "You're doing nothing wrong by falling in love. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"I'm scared," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. Spencer smiled kindly at her.

"I know. But you don't need to be. I'm here for you, and Emily will be, too."

"What if people hate me? What if my parents disown me?"

"They won't disown you. They love you."

"I just feel like I'm letting people down. Them, Caleb…"

"Hey," Spencer cut in. "You don't need to apologize for who you are. Anyone who has a problem with it can fuck themselves."

Paige's eyes widened at Spencer's choice of words. She could count on one hand the times she had heard the great Spencer Hastings curse in all the years they had known each other.

"What I'm saying is you don't need to be ashamed. Love is a beautiful thing, no matter who it's between. Just make sure you see it when it's right in front of you."

"I should tell Emily how I feel?"

"Absolutely. You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because she is obviously crazy about you, but as far as she knows, you're straight. You need to make the first move."

She was right. The ball was in her court to tell Emily how she really felt if she wanted the chance for this to work. No matter how afraid she was, if she wanted Emily, she needed her to know it.

"Have I ever told you what a great friend you are?" Paige asked, wiping away a tear from her cheek. Spencer grinned.

"Yeah. You are, too. No matter what."

She felt on top of the world after telling Spencer her true feelings about Emily. It was a small start, but it was something. And it felt incredible.

She stayed even after Spencer left, staring at her biology textbook while rehearsing in her head what she was going to say to Emily. It had to be perfect. She had to make sure Emily knew exactly how much she cared about her, that she had felt this way pretty much since they had first met. She was terrified to do it, but she knew she had to. She couldn't always use her fear as an excuse. She couldn't let it win.

It was getting late, and she decided to head back. She packed up her bag and started to the back of the library to put back one of the books she and Spencer had taken out for their project, realizing that almost everyone else had left. She didn't think anything of it until she saw someone quickly walk by the aisle out of the corner of her eye. She turned, heart beating faster, as she listened for any sign of movement.

"Hello?" she squeaked. She felt stupid for being so startled. It was probably just another student, working late like she was.

A noise came from the other side of the aisle, like a book falling to the floor. She peered through the books, trying to see if someone was there, and almost screamed when someone dressed all in black walked past. She didn't wait to stick around and see if there was a logical explanation. She ran out from the stacks and past the front desk, ignoring the weird look the librarian gave her as she bolted outside. It was dark out, and she wasn't relishing walking back to the dorm by herself when she was already spooked, even if it was close. She practically ran to the building, not even daring to look behind her to see if she was being followed. She let herself in and shut the door behind her, peering out through the window into the darkness. Then she turned and hurried up the stairs, looking forward to being in her room, even if it meant telling Emily the truth. She just didn't want to be alone now.

She opened the door to her room. Emily was on her bed, reading a book for class. She looked freshly showered and was already dressed in her pajamas. Paige could smell her honey scented shampoo as she passed her bed.

"Hey, Paige," Emily greeted her. "How was class?"

"Not bad. I was doing some work in the library with Spencer after," she replied. "Spencer is kind of an overbearing partner."

"I can imagine," Emily laughed. Paige took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. It was now or never.

"Em, can we talk? It's important."

Emily nodded, closing her book. She patted her bed, inviting Paige to sit down with her. She wondered what she could possibly want to talk about. But as Paige opened her mouth to speak, Emily's cell phone rang. Paige smiled, nodding at her to answer it.

"It's that fucking blocked number again," she growled, answering the call. "Hello?"

Like the week before, there was no answer. She was angry now, and her anger was taking over her fear. She didn't appreciate being scared like this.

"Leave me alone," she snapped. "You're not funny."

"Who was that?" Paige asked as Emily hung up.

"That same number as last week," Emily explained, sounding like she was going to cry. I got a text this morning saying someone was watching me, and then there was yesterday when someone definitely followed me back from class. I don't know what's going on, but it's scaring me."

"Oh, Em… it's okay," Paige soothed, moving in closer. "I really don't think it's anything to worry about. Did you talk to any guys who seemed interested in you at the party?"

"I just met this one guy, Toby. But he was really sweet and we didn't exchange numbers. He's interested in Spencer, actually."

"Well….. maybe we should talk to the campus police."

"We could. I just don't know what they can do."

"We'll figure something out," Paige promised, looking at Emily. She really was so beautiful. Sometimes looking at her made it hard to think.

"I know I'm safe here with you," she replied. Paige nodded, her heart pounding as Emily's eyes traveled to her lips. They were going to kiss.

Emily leaned in slowly. Paige didn't pull away, didn't jump up and start making excuses about leaving. She stayed, frozen, as Emily's lips connected with hers. They were just as soft and perfect as Paige had imagined they would be. Not rough like Caleb's, but smooth and gentle, like velvet. Only better.

She immediately felt sparks, something she had never felt when kissing a boy. This was what she was meant to be doing. This was definitely what she liked.

She didn't want to stop. Emily's lips on hers were heaven, and she didn't know how they had managed to go three weeks without doing this sooner. This wasn't so scary. She could do this.

Emily pulled away, breaking into a smile. Paige looked down, grinning herself as her cheeks turned pink.

"Don't look away, Paige," Emily told her softly. She looked up to see Emily looking at her, eyes shining with happiness. "Is that what you wanted to talk about?"

"Yeah," Paige replied, her cheeks burning. Emily leaned in and kissed her again.

"I'm not dreaming?"

"Not unless I'm having the same dream."

"I….. I've felt this way about you since we first met," Emily admitted. "I never thought you would feel the same way about me."

"I do," Paige whispered. "God, I do."

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" Emily asked, taking her hands. "Are you bisexual? Are you attracted to guys, too?"

"I don't think so," Paige replied. She swallowed hard. "I think I'm….. I'm….."

"Okay," Emily replied, and Paige was grateful for the interruption. She didn't know if she was ready to say those words yet. "I'm glad you were honest with me, Paige. I also want to apologize for a lot of things know that you know how I feel about you."

"For what?"

"For staring at you when I walked in on you after your shower. And for being such a jealous asshole at the party last week. I shouldn't have been mad about Caleb being there. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Em."

"No, it's not. And just so you know, I promised myself that I would support any boys you liked in the future."

Paige chuckled.

"I don't think that's necessary," she replied. It hit her in that moment that she was about to start a relationship with a girl. She was momentarily paralyzed, wondering what everyone would think. She stood up and moved towards the window, trying to calm herself.

"Paige?"

"I'm sorry. This is just a lot for me to deal with."

"I know," Emily replied sympathetically. "But it does get better, Paige. I promise."

"I just… this is all happening so fast. Me finally admitting it to myself….. Caleb, kissing you….."

"We can take things slow," Emily told her. "If you even want something to happen. I'm sorry, I-."

"Of course I do," Paige cut in. "So much. But I like the take it slow idea. I….. I've never been with a girl before."

"It's fun," Emily assured her, walking over to her. "And really, really nice. But we'll move at whatever pace you're comfortable with."

Paige nodded, taking her hand. She was terrified about how things were going to turn out, but excited, too. She had a chance at the girl she loved, and she wasn't going to waste it.

 **A/N: And there's what you've all been waiting for! Thanks for all your feedback and I hope you all continue to enjoy the story as things start getting more heated (and dramatic).**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I love seeing what you think of the story. Hope you enjoy the update.**

September 21

"Hanna! Open up!" Emily shouted, banging on Hanna and Aria's door. She knew Aria had class with Paige, but she suspected the blonde was still sleeping. She knew Hanna would forgive her for waking her up when she heard what she had to say. She couldn't believe it had actually happened. The girl of her dreams just happened to be a lesbian and interested in her. Luck didn't usually go her way.

"What?" Hanna grumbled, opening the door. Sure enough, her hair was a mess and she was wearing her pajamas. She had definitely just woken up. "This better be important."

"Paige and I kissed."

"What?" Hanna asked, suddenly looking wide awake. She pulled Emily into her room, shutting the door behind them. "Okay, that is important. I want all the details."

"Well-."

"Wait! Did you kiss her? Or did she kiss you?"

"I thought you wanted all the details? Don't interrupt."

"Right. Sorry," Hanna replied, making a zippering motion over her mouth.

"Okay. So, last night Paige came back and said she needed to talk to me. And I was like, okay. But she didn't really say anything, and we talked a little about this creeper who keeps calling me, and then I started leaning in and she didn't pull away so I kissed her. And she kissed me back."

"Holy shit!" Hanna exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "I knew it! Didn't I tell you?"

"Yes, you did," she admitted. "But come on, of course I was doubtful. I mean, if you're gay, what are your chances of your roommate being gay, too?"

"I told you that, too. Fate," she replied, and Emily thought maybe she did believe that. "This is so amazing. So, she likes you, right?"

"Yeah," she replied, her smile growing as she thought of Paige's giant brown eyes and beautiful smile. Kissing her had felt so perfect.

"So, are you guys dating?"

"I don't know. I think so."

"How can you not know?"

"She's afraid. She wants to take things slow. I just hope she doesn't flake on me, you know?"

"She better not," Hanna replied, cracking her knuckles.

"I get that she's afraid. I've been there. It's a lot to take in, especially when you're about to start dating a girl for the first time. I mean, she's been with a guy for over two years. That's what everyone is used to, and she's afraid people aren't going to accept her."

"But you told her you were there for her?"

"Of course," Emily replied. "I'll help her through it. No matter how long it takes."

* * *

Paige couldn't concentrate at all in class. All she could think about was Emily and how it felt to kiss her. She was so glad she had been honest. As scary as it had been, she had taken a big step to accepting herself and letting herself finally be happy. It felt amazing.

Emily liked her. She liked Emily. It was perfect they had been assigned a room. If she had been paired with another girl with a boyfriend, it wouldn't have encouraged her to start coming out like being with Emily did. She couldn't wait to go back to the room and see Emily. She wanted to kiss her some more, to feel her close to her. Her mind wandered from there to what it would be like to have sex with her. She was pretty experienced with guys, but have never liked it much. She was sure it would be different with Emily.

She could feel herself growing wet at the thought of Emily naked in bed with her. She shifted her position, trying to focus on the lecture instead of her maybe girlfriend. There was one other thing bothering her, that she did keep thinking about despite her happiness. What had happened the night before in the library had creeped her out. She was pretty sure whoever was there with her wasn't just a student putting a book back. She wondered if last night had anything to do with the calls Emily was getting, or when she was followed back from class. But who could it be? They hadn't met anyone who didn't like them. Or, she guessed it could be someone trying to scare them. But she didn't know who would do that, either. Her main circle of friends consisted of Emily, Hanna, Aria, and Spencer. It was definitely not Aria's style, it was too elaborate for Hanna, and Spencer didn't have the time to pull off a prank like that. Maybe they were both worrying over nothing. At least, that was what she kept telling herself.

After class, she went to the library to get some work done. Emily had classes until later today, so she figured she would just work until her roommate would be getting back. She certainly had more than enough to do.

As she was going inside, she ran into Hanna. She smiled and opened her mouth to greet her, but was immediately interrupted.

"Listen up. Emily is the sweetest girl you'll ever meet, so you better not fuck with her."

"What?"

"Treat her like a princess. Don't break her heart. Or I'll break your face. Got it?"

"Got it," Paige replied, eyebrows raised.

"Good," she replied, patting Paige's back. "I'm proud of you for being honest to her. You deserve to be happy."

"Thanks, Han," she told her. Oddly enough, she wasn't embarrassed that Hanna knew she and Emily kissed.

"No prob. I gotta go, but I'll see you later. Remember, like a princess."

"Don't worry," she called after her. Hanna waved and hurried outside.

Paige made her way to one of the tables at the back of the library, grinning stupidly. It felt so liberating now that her closest friends knew about her. Those were fewer people she had to pretend to be straight in front of.

Shit. Caleb. She didn't even know if they had broken up or not. He had told her to think, and she guessed she was supposed to get back to him one way or another. She just didn't know how to tell him two years had been a lie. Or, maybe it hadn't been. She had tried to convince herself she loved him. And she certainly did care about him. Just not in the way a girlfriend should.

Emily's class was over at seven, so she decided to head back to the room then. She was excited, hoping tonight would turn out as well as last night. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this happy. This was probably the first time.

Emily wasn't back yet. She sat down on her bed, staring at the door. She felt a bit like a kid on Christmas morning, and the waiting was getting harder and harder. Finally, after what felt like forever, Emily came into the room. She smiled when she saw Paige, closing the door behind her.

"Hey, Paige."

"Hi, Em. How was class?"

"Boring," Emily sighed. "I don't like walking back in the dark."

"Was everything okay today?"

"Yeah. But I kept looking over my shoulder and it creeped me out anyway."

"Oh, Em…."

"How are you doing today?"

"What do you mean?"

"After last night, I mean."

"Oh. I'm great. Really. I mean, it's a lot to take in, but it feels so good finally being honest."

"Good," Emily replied, sounding relieved. "Um…. so….. where do you want to go from here?"

"I want to give us a chance," Paige told her. "If you want to."

"I do," Emily replied. "I really do. But since I'm out, I'm going to let you decide the pace of things. How does that sound?"

"That's sweet of you," Paige replied. "I don't need a long time. I just need a little while to get comfortable."

"I understand. I won't tell people until you're ready."

"We can tell our friends. I just don't know if I'm ready to make out in public yet."

Emily laughed. Paige smiled, starting to relax.

"Like I said, you can determine the pace. I'll be here."

"Can I kiss you?" she asked. Emily smiled.

"Of course."

Paige leaned in and kissed her. It was just as sweet and beautiful as the night before. She was meant to be in Emily's arms like this.

Their kiss grew deeper, more passionate. Emily pulled her in closer, and she could feel her tongue slip into her mouth. She felt incredible and she didn't want to stop, ever.

But eventually, after minutes of eager, passionate kissing, Emily pulled away. They were both panting, eyes dark with arousal.

"We need to slow things down," Emily remarked. Paige nodded halfheartedly.

"Yeah. I guess so."

"Why don't we shower and settle in to watch a movie or something?"

"I like that idea."

* * *

The next day, Paige asked Caleb to pick her up so they could go for a drive and talk. She was nervous as she got into the car with him, both for admitting she was gay and because she didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want him to hate her, but she wouldn't blame him if he did.

"I'm sorry," she started as he pulled out of the parking lot. "I haven't been fair to you, and you've been nothing but nice to me."

"It's okay, Paige."

"It isn't. You deserve more than me."

"What are you saying?"

"We need to break up, Caleb," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

Caleb took a deep breath. Paige closed her eyes, trying to keep from crying.

"I figured you would say that."

"I'm gay, Caleb," she blurted, before she even realized it. Her eyes widened. She had said it out loud.

"Yeah," he replied, staring ahead at the road. "I figured."

"Oh."

They were both silent for a moment. A tear slid down Paige's cheek as she waited for him to speak.

"How long?" he asked after a few minutes. "How long have you known?"

"I started questioning it last year. But I didn't admit it until I met Emily."

"So it was when we were together."

"Yes," she whispered. She sniffed. "I'm so sorry, Caleb."

"Stop apologizing. I'm not angry at you."

"You're not?" she asked in surprise. She deserved at least that, she thought.

"No. None of this is your fault. I know that. I mean, I'm not happy that we have to break up. But I love you. And I want you to be happy, even if that means letting you go."

She couldn't help bursting into tears. He was so sweet, and it only made her feel even guiltier for how things between them had turned out. After the way she had treated him at the party and blown him off ever since, he should have been angry at her. But he wasn't. All he saw was the girl he loved struggling, and he didn't blame her.

"I'm so sorry, Caleb," she sobbed, blowing her nose. "You deserve so much better than me."

"Paige, stop. It's okay," he told her. He pulled onto the side of the road, turning to face her. "Just tell me one thing. The two years we were together….. you did care about me?"

"Of course I did," she told him. "I love you. Just not in the way you want. I tried, Caleb. I really did. I just can't."

He nodded, looking away. She wiped her eyes, feeling like the most awful person in the world.

"You can't change who you are."

"No. I can't."

"I'm sorry you went all that time without being honest with yourself," he told her.

"I wasn't miserable while we were together, Caleb. I promise."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"I'll understand if you say no, but… I was really hoping we could stay friends. It would mean everything to me."

Caleb nodded, smiling slightly. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"Sounds good to me."

"You really are amazing, Caleb," she whispered, hugging him. "You deserve someone way better than me. Someone worthy of you."

"Thank you for being honest. Even if it did take you a while."

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

"And I'm really sorry about….. you know. Saying Emily's name."

"I know," he replied. "Alcohol is a great truth serum."

"Yeah," she replied, reaching for another tissue. "Thank you. For everything."

He brought her back to the university and dropped her off in the student center parking lot. She watched him drive away, feeling relieved yet different. It was weird not thinking of him as her boyfriend. She had been doing it for almost three years. But she guessed this was what it was like starting over. Scary, different, and exciting. It would take time, and it would take courage, but she was confident that eventually she could live the life she really wanted.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews, guys! Enjoy the next chapter!**

September 23

On Saturday, Emily asked Paige on their first official date. They decided on going to the Italian restaurant within walking distance of campus, followed by a walk around the town. Emily went to Hanna's room to get ready, while Aria came in to, in Hanna's words, supervise her. Paige still wasn't sure what she needed supervising for, but she suspected it was a dig at her outfits.

"Does this look too revealing?" Paige asked as she pulled a small black dress out of her closet. Aria's eyes almost bugged out of her head as her mouth dropped open. "What?"

"I just didn't think you owned something like that."

"Something like what? It's too much?"

"No, no… it's just, you're always wearing ripped jeans and gym shorts. I didn't peg you as the dress type is all," she replied. She cringed. "I'm sorry. Was that offensive?"

"Not at all," Paige laughed. "It's true. I guess I fit the stereotype in that respect."

"I think you should wear the dress."

"I won't be overdoing it?"

"No way. Besides, Bella Maria's is a nice place. You should definitely dress up."

"I'm trusting your judgment here, Aria."

"I have to answer to Hanna. Believe me, it's in my best interest not to steer you wrong."

Paige laughed, kicking her shoes off. The blonde was certainly one of the more interesting people she had met at school.

"What should I do with my hair?"

"Do you have a curling iron?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Can I curl it for you?" Aria asked eagerly.

"Sure. Why not?"

She put on the dress and some makeup before settling at her desk for Aria to curl her hair. Her stomach was fluttering with excitement. She couldn't wait to go out on a real date, with Emily. She had been excited for her first date with Caleb, but as their relationship had progressed, they had a lot fewer date nights. Even though she did prefer ripped jeans and baseball caps to dresses and skirts, and she like getting dressed up on occasion.

"You look beautiful," Aria announced proudly, stepping back. "I think I want to go on a date with you."

"Thank you, Aria," Paige replied, looking in satisfaction at her reflection. She didn't look half bad. "You think Emily will be impressed?"

"I know it."

* * *

"Please don't make me look like a prostitute," Emily sighed as Hanna thrust a short skirt at her.

"Come on. It's almost knee length. Besides, I promise Paige will be impressed."

"I know. But we want to take things slowly. She's never been with a girl before, and she doesn't want to rush things."

"Well, you guys share a room. You can do it whenever you want."

"When she's ready," Emily replied as she finished getting dressed. "There. How do I look?"

"Sexy," Hanna replied, grinning. "You're going to be getting some way sooner than you think."

"Shut up," she told her, although she was smiling as she headed for the door. She was stepping into the hallway the same time as Paige, and her mouth dropped open when she saw her. Her roommate (girlfriend?), who usually dressed so comfortable and tomboyish, was standing in front of her wearing a short black dress, heels, and full makeup. She looked absolutely stunning, and for a moment Emily was lost for words. Paige seemed to have the same reaction looking at her. "Wow," Emily finally said, looking her up and down. "You look…. wow."

"So do you," Paige replied. She cleared her throat. "Uh…. are you ready?"

Emily nodded. She took Paige's hand, and together they started down the hall as Hanna and Aria stood watching them, giant smiles on their faces.

"We make a great team," Hanna told her roommate, high fiving her as they went back into her room.

They walked to the restaurant, immediately settling into comfortable conversation. Emily thought she would be a lot more nervous, since it had been a while since she had been on a date, but she just felt so at home with Paige. She was very easy to talk to, and she couldn't help but notice she had the most adorable habits as they sat there waiting for their food. She dipped her head a lot, she noticed, and she found it very endearing.

"I almost chose to go to U Penn," Paige admitted, taking a sip of her water. "They offered me a full ride, too. I'm so glad I chose here."

"What made you choose here?"

"Honestly, I don't know," she admitted. "I just wanted to come here more."

"It is a very nice place," Emily agreed. "Great people, too."

"Yeah," Paige agreed. She dipped her head again.

"You do that a lot," Emily told her.

"What?"

"Dip your head. It's cute."

"Oh," Paige replied. She blushed. "I do it when I get embarrassed, I guess. I don't usually realize I'm doing it."

"You don't need to be embarrassed around me, Paige," Emily told her gently. "Okay? Don't look away from me."

Paige nodded, and maintained eye contact despite her flushed cheeks. Emily smiled. She wanted to lean in and kiss her, but she wasn't sure if Paige would be okay with such a public show of affection.

She also wanted to know what Paige had told her parents so far. She doubted she had mentioned she was a lesbian, but she wondered if they knew she had broken up with Caleb. She wouldn't ask her, of course. The last thing she wanted was for her to feel rushed. She wanted Paige to know that she could take her time coming out, and that she had Emily's full support.

"You seem so confident," Paige remarked. "You know that?"

"I do?" Emily asked in surprise. That wasn't a word she would use to describe herself.

"Yeah. The first day I met you I thought that. You just seem so… strong."

"Well, thank you. I'm glad you think that."

"Then there's me. I'm a big dork."

"I like that," Emily replied, taking her hand under the table. "Just so you know."

"You can kiss me," Paige whispered. No one was watching anyway, and her want for Emily was overtaking her fear of coming out.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure."

Emily leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Paige sighed gratefully.

"Kissing girls is definitely better than kissing boys."

"You can say that again," Emily laughed. "I dated this boy my sophomore year of high school. Ben. He was….. less than intelligent, I guess you can say. He had to take algebra three times."

"Oh my goodness," Paige laughed. "Emily, how did someone like that end up with someone as smart as you?"

"Honestly? I was a total nerd in high school. I had braces and glasses, and people ignored me. I guess I was desperate to be loved."

"Oh, Em….. yeah, high schoolers can be assholes. I did the braces in middle school. People used to call me tinsel teeth."

"That's original," Emily replied, shaking her head.

"I know, right? Hey, do you have pictures of your glasses? I want to see."

"Are you sure? I look pretty scary," Emily joked.

"No way. I bet you're adorable with them."

Now it was Emily's turn to blush. She nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I have pictures. I'll show you sometime."

Their date went flawlessly. The evening flew by, and after dinner they went for a walk around town like they planned. They held hands the whole time, talking and laughing. It wasn't until the sun began to set that they started heading back, high off the events of their first date. Emily couldn't stop smiling, and Paige couldn't remember ever feeling so happy.

They went back to their building and went up to their room. When Paige opened the door, they both noticed an envelope lying there, as if it had been slipped under the crack while they were gone. Paige picked it up, looking at Emily questioningly.

"What is it?" Emily asked, closing the door behind them.

"I don't know," Paige replied, kicking off her shoes. She rubbed her feet and sat down on her bed. She opened the envelope, and Emily could see her face pale.

"Paige?"

"Come see this," she whispered. Emily stood next to her, her eyes widening when she saw Paige was holding two pictures. The pictures were of them. One was them at the restaurant, all smiles, and the other was from the back on their walk around town. Someone had been following them.

"Holy shit."

"Someone was watching us. How did we not notice we were being followed?"

"I don't know. But this is going to far?"

"What is?"

"Someone's messing with us. I keep getting these weird calls and I was definitely followed back from class last week. I think this is all connected."

Paige was silent for a moment. She thought back to the other night in the library, and how afraid she had felt. She hadn't told Emily about it, but maybe it was time she did.

"The night we first kissed," she started. "I was coming from the library. I was pretty much alone, in the back by the tables. When I went to put a book back, it sounded like someone was there in the next aisle. I tried to look and I saw someone in all black walk by. I got scared and ran out."

"Whoever it was who followed me back from class last week was dressed in black," Emily replied.

"This is weird. Do you have any idea who would be messing with us like this?"

"Not really. But it's scaring me."

"It's probably just some pervy guys thinking they're funny," Paige replied. "Maybe it's someone we met at a party or something."

"I don't think I've given any guys my number," Emily replied, thinking back. "Have you gotten any calls?"

"No. Not yet, at least."

Emily stared at the pictures, wracking her brain for a guy she had talked to who had seemed interested in her or Paige. She couldn't come up with any.

"What about the ten thousand guys Hanna has over?" she asked. "Maybe one got into her phone and just picked someone to mess with."

"I don't know," Paige replied, lying down. "But honestly, at this point I don't think we should worry."

"They have pictures of us eating dinner, Paige. I'm worried."

"I know, but it's probably someone trying to scare us. If we ignore them, eventually they'll stop."

Emily laid down next to her. Paige looked at her, her heart starting to beat faster. She really wasn't concerned, but she knew Emily was. So she leaned in and kissed her gently.

"What if they don't?" Emily asked. "What if they start doing worse things?"

"Then we'll worry about it when it happens," Paige replied. That was always something her dad would say. 'We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, princess,' Nick McCullers would always say when she would worry. It always made her mad, and she couldn't believe she was saying it now, but she actually wasn't worried. Maybe it was because she was on such a high from Emily, but at least for right now, she was sure it would be okay. "Em, it's okay. I'll keep you safe."

Emily smiled, snuggling up against her. She guessed Paige was right. They didn't need to worry. They had had such a beautiful night, and she wasn't going to let some college creep ruin it.

"You're right," she replied, tossing the pictures to the floor. "You're right."

She kissed her, wrapping her arms around her. Paige sighed into the kiss, trying to get as close to Emily as possible. Tonight had gone even better than she had expected, as far as their date was concerned. They connected in a way that was amazing considering they had only known each other about a month. It was like they were meant to be.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: This chapter's kind of long, but there's plenty of fluff and "stuff" for all of you. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to let me know what you think!**

October 16

Their relationship developed rapidly over the next four weeks. They grew closer and closer each day, and Paige was surprised at how fast she had gotten comfortable with people knowing she was dating a girl. Holding Emily's hand in public was absolutely exhilarating, and the other day when Emily had kissed her in the dining hall she wasn't sure why she hadn't let her do it sooner. She was growing more confident with herself every day, although she hadn't told her family yet. But she was making great strides at school, and considering where she was a month ago, she was very proud of herself.

Their friends were very supportive of their relationship. Hanna would squeal every time they held hands or kissed, and even Spencer would grin at their displays of affection. Their alone time at night was getting more adventurous and their make out sessions more passionate. The other night, they had gone to second base, something Emily had been determined to hold off on until Paige was ready. Paige had never been with another girl and she knew she was nervous, but it didn't take her long to get the hang of things.

There was no reason for Emily not to be in a good mood when she woke up Saturday morning. The girl she loved was in the bed next to her, her breathing steady, as the sun shone brightly outside in the chilly fall weather. The campus Fall Festival was being held this day, and from what the upperclassmen had to say, it was definitely a go-to event. She and Paige were planning on going later in the afternoon with their usual group of friends. Emily had even gotten Spencer and Toby talking, and he was going to tag along. She had that to look forward to, along with another evening alone with Paige. She felt like Paige was really starting to warm up, and maybe even almost ready to take things another step further. But she definitely wasn't going to rush her. She wanted Paige to feel comfortable in every way possible. She wanted her to feel safe, loved.

Since their first date, there had been no more mysterious phone calls or creepy pictures. Emily decided Paige was right, that it was just someone who wanted attention, and when they hadn't gotten it they had gotten bored. Or so she thought.

She got out of bed, smiling as she stretched. It looked like a beautiful day outside. The weather had finally gotten chilly and the air smelled like it did in the fall time. She loved this time of year, because it meant Christmas was coming. She was definitely that person who started celebrating too early.

She began gathering her things for the shower. She figured when Paige woke up they could go get some breakfast with Aria and Spencer (Hanna would be sleeping until the time they were planning on going to the festival) and maybe just hang around outside for a while. Yes, she was definitely happy.

Paige stirred, opening one eye. Emily smiled at her, slipping on her shower shoes.

"Hey, you."

"Hey," she replied sleepily. "What time is it?"

Emily smiled, glancing at the clock. Paige asked that every morning, even though the clock was right next to her bed.

"Nine. I'm gonna shower, and then when you're ready we can grab some breakfast."

"I'll come with you," Paige replied, getting up. She stretched. "I can't wait to go to the festival."

"Me, too," Emily agreed, respectfully looking away as Paige began to take off her pajamas. Since they had started dating, she was careful not to do anything that might make Paige uncomfortable. She didn't want her to feel forced into a sexual relationship before she was ready.

"I was thinking," Paige replied, turning to face her. She was wrapped in her towel now, her hair messy. Emily thought she looked beautiful. "Maybe tonight after the festival we could…. I'm ready. To take things to the next step."

"Really?" Emily asked, a smile crossing her face. Paige nodded, maintaining eye contact. She had gotten much better at that.

"Really," she replied, moving in closer. "I want to have that intimate relationship with you."

"It's more than okay with me," she assured her, leaning in to kiss her. "Sorry. I have morning breath."

"No worries. So do I," Paige told her, and kissed her again. "So, later?"

"Absolutely," Emily agreed. "And I'm just telling you know that you don't need to be nervous. There's no right or wrong. Okay?"

"Yeah. Okay."

She followed Emily to the showers, shaky with excitement. They were going to have sex. She was glad they had waited for their relationship to develop before jumping into bed, but she had desperately wanted to sleep with her the whole time. Now, she was finally going to get her wish. She was anxious about it too though, because she had never been with a girl before. She didn't know what Emily liked or how it would feel doing those things to begin with. But she supposed as their sexual relationship evolved they would know more about what the other liked and wanted.

She opted not to tell any of her friends ahead of time. She would do it after, once it was done. Besides, if Hanna knew, the whole campus would. She was pretty sure neither of them wanted that.

Around three, they all headed out to the gardens where the festival was taking place. There was music, tons of food, bobbing for apples, painting faces on pumpkins, and arts and crafts. It was pretty impressive, they had to admit, and they immediately got into the painting pumpkins.

"This is awesome," Hanna remarked as she stuffed a cookie in her mouth. "Look. Mine looks scary, right?"

"Terrifying," Spencer agreed. Hanna beamed, not detecting the sarcasm in her tone.

"Thank you."

"Crap. I smeared mine," Paige sighed, frowning at the giant smudge of brown over the front of her pumpkin.

"Paint over it in orange," Toby suggested. She thought for a moment.

"Would that work?"

"It's worth a try."

"I was trying to make mine look scary," Emily added, looking at her pumpkin in dismay. "Instead it looks like it's laughing."

"Aw, no. It looks great," Paige told her. Hanna and Aria exchanged smirks.

"Who's hungry?" Spencer asked. "I could really go for some macaroni salad."

"I'll get it," Toby offered, standing up. "Does anyone else want anything?"

"I'll come with you," Paige offered. "Em, you want anything?"

"I'll take some macaroni salad too, please."

"Thanks for asking me if I wanted anything," Hanna replied, folding her arms. "Aria, I think we should date."

"Only if that means you get me food."

"No way! You'd be getting me food!"

"I'll get you both food," Paige laughed. "Relax."

She went with Toby to the stand, admiring the way it was decorated for fall. She really did love the cooler weather and the approaching holiday season. And even more than that, she loved spending this chilly fall afternoon with Emily and her friends.

Toby was the newest addition to their group, and she really liked him. He was on the quiet side but very sweet and sensitive, and he was very good to Spencer. Her friend had had some rough luck with guys in the past, and she was glad to finally see her with someone good.

"Spencer really likes you, you know," she told him. He blushed.

"I really like her, too."

"Thank you," she continued. "For being so good to her. She deserves a good guy."

"Emily does, too," he replied. "Well, a good girl."

"I know she does," Paige answered, looking back at her girlfriend. She smiled, watching as Emily laughed and messed around with her friends.

"She was pretty torn up about you the night we first met," Toby continued as they collected food for the group. "Don't tell her I told you."

"She was?"

"Oh, yeah. I didn't know who she was talking about at first, but she was saying she had feelings for her roommate and she was there with her boyfriend. I'm glad things are working out for you."

"Me, too," she replied, a smile crossing her face. She hated that she had made Emily hurt by not being honest from the beginning, but she hadn't been ready at the time. Things were working themselves out well enough, and now she had plenty of time to make Emily feel loved. She would make up for those first couple of weeks where she had been so jealous of Caleb. That was a promise she made silently to herself as she and Toby carried the food back to the table.

"I love you," Hanna gasped as Paige set her food down in front of her. "I am so hungry."

"It's even better than the dining hall food," Emily remarked, excited. "This is awesome!"

Paige smiled, taking her hand under the table. She couldn't wait for later. She was nervous, because she had never had sex with a girl before and she wasn't sure what to expect. But at the same time, she knew that Emily would be gentle and show her what she wanted. The thought of sex with Emily was highly appealing and something she hadn't been able to stop thinking about. She was sure it would live up to expectations.

"Hey, Paige," Aria started, interrupting her thoughts. "Why does Lyndon keep staring over here?"

"He's so creepy," Spencer replied as Paige turned to look at one of the guys in her chem class who always seemed to be watching them.

"Who's that?" Emily asked.

"Some creep in our chem class," Spencer replied. "He scares me."

"Does he like one of you?" Hanna asked.

"No idea," Paige replied, anxiously taking a sip of her water. He made her nervous. "Let's just not look over there. Don't give him the attention."

They sat and talked a while longer. The weather was growing colder, and the wind had picked up since they had gotten outside. Paige was growing more antsy as the time passed, eager for what the night was going to bring once they got back to the room. She couldn't believe this was actually going to happen. This had been the longest she had gone without having sex since she had first lost her virginity, and she missed it. Not the being with Caleb part, but the intimacy and feeling loved. Now that she was with Emily, she was hoping she could have all of it.

"It's cold," Emily observed, shivering. Paige quickly took off her jacket and draped it over her girlfriend's shoulders. "Paige, no. I don't want you to-."

"It's fine," she assured her, silencing her with a kiss. "I'm not cold, I promise."

"I wish Sean was here to give me his jacket," Hanna pouted. "I wanted him to come here with me. But he wanted to go to some religious school."

"That's why I liked going to college single," Aria replied. "Less drama."

"Are there any guys you have your eye on, Aria?" Emily asked as Paige slid her arm around her. She was letting Paige set the boundaries for the amount of affection they showed in public, and she was pleased with what she was getting. Paige had come a long way in the past month, from being apprehensive about them sitting too close to hugging them close together. She still wasn't ready to have full make out sessions with everyone watching, but Emily didn't blame her for that. She was proud at how much Paige had opened up, and she guessed she had finally hit the point where she was tired of hiding. Of course, the biggest challenge of telling her parents was yet to come, but as long as she was comfortable here in front of her friends with her sexuality, telling her family would be somewhat easier.

"Maybe," Aria replied, blushing furiously as she stuffed a mouthful of applesauce into her mouth.

"I know who it is," Hanna boasted. Aria gave her a warning look. "But I won't say anything."

"Come on, Aria," Paige prodded. "We won't make fun of you. We just want to know who it is."

"Fine. You know Holden? In our lab?"

"Oh," Paige replied knowingly. She was pretty sure Holden was interested in Aria, too. "Yeah. He talks to you a lot."

"I know," she agreed, her cheeks turning even darker.

"Ask him out," Emily suggested. Aria sighed.

"I don't know if I have the courage."

"Try," Paige replied, squeezing Emily's hand. "You might surprise yourself."

Emily smiled back. She knew she was referring to her own decision to take a risk for love.

"You guys are so cute," Hanna sighed. "I can't take it."

Paige blushed. Emily smiled and leaned against her. It seemed she permanently had a smile on her face these days.

"Did you want to head back soon?" she asked quietly. Paige nodded, her breath hitching. "Guys, we're going to call it a night. We're going to go, uh, hang out in the room."

"Have fun," Spencer replied, kicking Hanna under the table as she opened her mouth, a smirk on her face. "We'll see you tomorrow."

"Or not," Aria added quietly, and Hanna laughed. Spencer glared at both of them.

"Just ignore them," Emily told Paige. She smiled, taking Emily's hand as they walked away.

"It's okay. I think they know."

"You're okay with that?"

"Yeah. You're my girlfriend. I'm sure they knew it was bound to happen eventually."

"I'm really proud of you, you know," Emily told her as they approached the dorms. "You were so scared about people finding out. And you've come a really long way."

"It was easier than I thought," she replied. "Especially since I had such amazing people by my side. I struggled with it for a while. And then once I met you…. it was what I needed."

"It was what I needed, too," Emily replied as they walked up the stairs to their room. "Maybe in a different way, but still."

"We're good for each other," Paige agreed as Emily opened their door. They stepped inside, the energy in the room like it had never been before. Emily turned to Paige, pulling her jacket off.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes," she whispered, licking her lips. This was it.

"Are you sure?" Emily asked, stepping closer. Paige nodded.

"I just….. I'm just not sure what to do."

"There's no right or wrong," Emily assured her gently, pulling her in close. "We just need to find out what the other likes. That's all."

Paige nodded, leaning in to kiss Emily. As soon as she felt her lips against her own she immediately relaxed, remembering this was the girl she loved and it would be okay. She let herself melt into Emily's touch, her heart racing with anticipation of what was to come. She wanted to take this slow and enjoy her first time with Emily thoroughly. They had the whole night to themselves. No need to rush.

They stood in the middle of the room, kissing passionately as they held one another close. Paige knew she was wet already, and they were still completely clothes. But she had been fantasizing about this for a while now, and now that it was actually about to happen she could barely contain herself. She slipped her hands under Emily's shirt, unhooking her bra.

Emily took that as a cue to back them up towards her bed, since it was closer. They laid side by side, their lips never leaving one another as shirts were removed and carelessly tossed to the floor. Emily's bra came off first, and she nodded at Paige to encourage her to feel her breasts. She did, having quickly learned the way Emily liked to be touched there, and Emily closed her eyes as she felt Paige's thumbs stroking her nipples. She let her continue a few minutes longer before reaching to unhook Paige's bra, watching as she pulled it off and her breasts were set free. She stared for a moment. Even though she had seen them before, she never got tired of looking. They were literally perfect; small but firm. She reached out to cup them in her palms, a sigh escaping Paige's lips. She moved in closer, loving the way their different skin tones contrasted with one another.

"You're beautiful," she whispered, kissing Paige softly. She unbuttoned her jeans. "You're completely sure about this?"

"Yes," Paige whispered back. "I've never been more sure about anything."

Emily helped her out of her jeans, and Paige did the same. The only thing left was underwear, and they decided to get rid of that at the same time. They were completely naked now, vulnerable and exposed as they kneeled side by side on the bed, looking at one another. Emily motioned for Paige to lie down and climbed on top of her, admiring her body. She really was gorgeous.

"How's this?" Emily asked. Paige could only nod, shaking with anticipation. Emily leaned down to kiss her, her hands wandering to her breasts. Paige moaned softly.

"Em," she whispered as Emily began to kiss her way down her stomach. She didn't know why she was so nervous. She had been gone down on before.

"Just relax, okay?" Emily told her. Paige nodded, lying back and closing her eyes. She gasped when Emily's tongue connected with her clit, the sensation immediately sending fireworks off inside her. She always liked oral sex, but just the few seconds with Emily were already the most amazing thing she had ever felt. She couldn't help the whimpers and moans coming from her mouth as Emily's tongue worked its magic on her. She licked up and down her wet slit, every so often giving her clit a gentle lick. But she knew just how to make it last.

"Emily," Paige gasped, clutching onto the bed sheets. "Holy fuck that feels s-so good."

Emily grinned to herself, appreciative for the feedback. She wanted to make Paige feel good, and she could tell by the sounds she was making and the way she was squirming she was doing just that.

"Oh, fuck….."

She went back to her clit, swirling her tongue around it before taking the swollen bud into her mouth and beginning to suck on it. Paige cried out loudly, pressing Emily against her. She was close, very close. It only took a few more moments before she came, pleasure exploding inside of her as she cursed and moaned her way through her orgasm. Emily continued to pleasure her until she was finished, waiting until she had finally stopped trembling before moving back up to kiss her mouth. Paige sighed, pulling Emily in for a hug as she tried to catch her breath.

"See? Nothing to be nervous about?" Emily told her, smiling. Paige grinned.

"Yeah."

"You're beautiful when you come," she added. Paige blushed but maintained eye contact, remembering Emily's request for her to not look away.

"I love you," she replied. Her eyes widened when she realized what she had said. "Oh… shit. I'm sorry, I-."

"Shhh," Emily soothed, rubbing her arm. "I love you, too."

"You do?" Paige asked, relieved. "I thought I said it too soon. I didn't want to freak you out."

"You didn't," Emily assured her. "I've been wanting to say it. I didn't want you to feel pressured."

Paige hugged Emily tight, suddenly feeling like crying. She had never felt so happy.

"I have never felt so happy," she whispered. Emily kissed her.

"Me, neither."

"Em?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I…. can I do the same for you?"

"Of course," Emily replied, stretching out on the bed. "Don't look so nervous, Paige. I promise it isn't scary."

"Right," Paige replied, taking a deep breath. Emily was wet and ready for her, and she knew that she was loved. She just wanted to make her feel good. "Okay. Ready?"

"Very," Emily replied. Paige began kissing her way down to her center as Emily had done previously, her heart pounding. She had imagined this so many times and it was finally about to happen. She couldn't make herself wait to taste Emily and the second her mouth was on her she knew she wanted to do this again and again. Especially once she heard the noises of approval her girlfriend was making. She was quieter than Paige had been but nonetheless made it clear she was pleased. That boosted Paige's confidence further and she set to work with a purpose, on a complete high.

To her relief, Emily was very satisfied with her, and came within a reasonable amount of time. She had been afraid for some reason she wouldn't be able to bring her to climax, and when Emily began to tremble against she swelled with pride. She was right. This hadn't been anything to be nervous about. This had been about sharing intimacy, and she had never felt so close to someone as she did to Emily now.

"Wow," Emily panted as Paige moved back up, a triumphant grin on her face. She felt like she had just conquered the world. "Yeah. You definitely had nothing to be nervous about."

"Cool," Paige replied, straddling her. "Lesbian sex is amazing. Why didn't anyone tell me sooner?"

"I could have when we first met," Emily laughed. "But I didn't want to scare you off."

"You wouldn't have," Paige replied. She looked at Emily a moment, just admiring her. "You are so beautiful, Em. I can't tell you enough."

"You're very sweet, Paige. Today was fun, wasn't it?"

"Oh, yes. So fun."

"You know the girls will be harassing us for details tomorrow."

"I don't mind," Paige replied. "I'm not ashamed. I'll talk about it."

"I like hearing you say that," Emily told her, smiling. "Having a girlfriend is fun, isn't it?"

"Yes. I'm really glad I finally did this. Came out I mean."

"I'm glad you did, too," Emily replied, sitting up. She wrapped her arms around Paige. "Can I show you something else?"

Paige nodded. Emily gently ran her fingers through Paige's wet folds, watching as Paige's mouth opened in a gasp of pleasure.

"How's that?" she cooed, sliding two fingers inside of her. She moaned.

"Good," she whispered, closing her eyes. She felt her way between Emily's legs, slipping her own fingers inside of her. Emily groaned, shifting her position to allow her better access.

"Paige," she moaned, tightening her arm around her.

Paige moaned in response, the pleasure already beginning to overtake her. She had never had sex this incredible before. Nothing compared to how she felt right now, Emily's arm around her and her fingers inside of her. Being inside Emily felt pretty nice, too.

They were both moaning and gasping each other's names as they grew closer to the edge. Emily came first, her walls clenching around Paige's fingers as she did. The sensation of that alone sent Paige right over the edge after her, almost collapsing on her shaky legs as she rode out her orgasm.

They withdrew their fingers from one another. Emily pulled Paige down next to her, holding her close as they gazed at each other, breathless.

"That was perfect," Paige whispered. Emily grinned, touching her lip.

"So, you approve?"

"Absolutely," she replied, snuggling up against her. "I think today was the best day ever. I'm glad I got to spend it with you."

"I'm glad I got to spend it with you, too," she agreed, kissing her.

Paige smiled, reaching to pull the covers over them. Their relationship felt even more stable and intimate now, and she loved the way it had developed just over the past month. It was amazing thinking back to a month ago, where she was terrified for people to know she was dating a girl. And now, mesmerized by Emily and completely in love, she wanted to shout to the world that this girl was her girlfriend.

"Thank goodness tomorrow we can sleep in," she yawned. "Today was tiring."

"There's always morning sex," Emily added. Paige laughed.

"I do love morning sex."

Emily smiled, stroking Paige's cheek. She looked tired but happy.

"I love you, Paige."

"I love you too, Em. Thank you for giving me the courage to do this."

"You don't need to thank me, babe. You gave yourself the courage."

"Yeah, but I had you to look up to," Paige replied. "And I can't thank you enough."

They laid together for a while, talking and giggling as they held each other close, high off their perfect evening. On the floor in her jeans pocket, Emily's phone vibrated with the call of an unknown number.


	11. Chapter 11

October 23

Their relationship grew even stronger once they had been intimate. They each had a whole new confidence they hadn't had beforehand, and the new sex was certainly exciting. Even better was the fact that they shared a room and didn't have to plan around roommates. Although, Hanna was trying to make things difficult. She wanted details, every single one, and Emily had gladly given them to her. Aria had pretended she was studying, but she was interested. Paige had had a similar conversation with Spencer, surprised at how much she was willing to share. She hadn't even been this open about when she had sex with Caleb. But there was something about Emily that made her more confident and open. Meeting the girl had bettered her in every way possible.

There was still one problem for Paige. Her family. None of them knew she was gay. She had told her mother she had broken up with Caleb, but she hadn't said why. She wasn't lying, just withholding information. She planned to tell them as soon as she went home, because she wanted to get it out of the way but she didn't think it would be appropriate to do it over Skype. She wasn't sure how they would react. They were religious, but she was confident they loved her enough to accept her anyway. Or, at least she hoped.

Emily's worry involved the fact that she had started getting calls from the unknown number again. She hadn't answered any this time, but she was starting to grow unnerved. She had been sure it had stopped, and now that it had started again the fear was coming back. She had told Paige, who had just kissed her and told her not to worry. But she was anyway.

It was the following Saturday, and they were on a double date with Spencer and Toby. They went bowling first, followed by dinner at the pizzeria around the corner. They ordered a pepperoni pizza and fries and immediately set to work at making it disappear.

"I hope you don't find it unattractive that I eat like a teenage boy," Paige told Emily, stuffing two French fries into her mouth.

"So do I," Emily replied.

"I take offense," Toby added as he dumped a ridiculous amount of cheese onto his pizza. "Whoops."

"When it comes to pizza, I could probably eat the whole thing myself," Spencer chimed in. "It's my weakness."

"All food is my weakness," Paige sighed. "I'm lucky I have a fast metabolism."

"Shut up," Spencer replied.

Emily's phone vibrated in her pocket. Normally she would have ignored it, but her dad was supposed to call from Texas, so she sneaked a peek. Her heart sank when she saw who it was from, and naturally she had to read it. She wasn't prepared for the message she saw.

 _I'm always watching. And I'm waiting._

She stared at her phone, starting to panic. This was more than just a dumb joke. It sounded like a threat. If the goal was to scare her, it was working.

"Em?" Paige asked, noticing the look on her girlfriend's face. "Sweetie, what is it?"

"Nothing," she replied, stuffing her phone back into her pocket. She suddenly felt like she was going to throw up. "I'll be right back. I need to pee."

Spencer and Toby didn't seem to think anything of it, but Paige knew something was wrong. So she followed her into the bathroom, finding her standing in front of a sink splashing cold water on her face.

"Em, babe, what's wrong?" she asked gently, wrapping her arms around her. "Please tell me."

"This," she whispered, pulling her phone out. Paige took it, her face growing pale as she read the message.

"Oh."

"I don't think this is just some dumb frat guys playing a joke, Paige. I'm scared."

Paige hugged her, unsure of what to say. When it had just been phone calls with no answer it had been easy to shrug it off as a joke. Especially when they had just stopped for a while. But this was more than just a prank.

"Maybe we should call the police?"

"And tell them what? I have absolutely no information on who this could be."

"But they could figure it out. They do stuff like that."

"I don't know. Maybe."

"If you're afraid, we should tell someone," Paige continued gently. "I want you to feel safe."

"I'll think about it," Emily replied. She really didn't know who could help them at this point in time. "We should go back."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she assured her girlfriend, smiling. "When I'm with you I am."

When they got back to the table, Spencer and Toby were engaged in a full on make out session. They hadn't even seemed to notice their friends were gone.

"Are we interrupting?" Paige asked as she and Emily slid back into their side of the booth. Spencer jumped, immediately pulling away from Toby.

"No," she replied, smoothing her blouse. "Let's go get coffee."

They stopped by the campus coffee shop before heading their separate ways to their dorms. It was dark, and Paige noticed Emily looking around as she searched for the key to let them in.

"Em, it's okay," she assured her, not missing the way her girlfriend jumped. Emily nodded and followed her inside, giving one last glance behind them as the door closed.

They went up to their room. Emily made a show of locking the door before sitting down on her bed, kicking off her shoes.

"Do you think we should tell someone?" she asked.

"If it will make you feel better, yes."

"What about you? Aren't you scared?"

"I don't know what to feel," Paige replied, sitting next to her. "It's freaky, yes. But I don't know enough about it. Like, are they serious? Or are they just messing with you?"

"I don't know," Emily sighed. "But if they're just trying to scare me, it's working."

Paige hugged her, soothingly rubbing her back. She was a little worried, but she wanted to seem confident nothing was wrong to make her girlfriend feel better. The chances of someone dangerous being after her were very slim, but she felt uneasy.

"There's nothing we can do tonight," she replied. "Unless you want to call the police."

"No. I think we should go to the RA first."

"Okay," Paige agreed, gently brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. "Then, for tonight, I think I know how to make you feel better."

Emily smiled slightly at that, nodding in agreement. Paige laid her down, gently kissing her as her hands slid under her shirt. It was amazing how confident she had gotten just in the past week of their lovemaking; it felt as if they had been doing this forever. Gone was the shy, timid girl who was unsure of what to do, and in her place a confident lover who knew exactly how to give her girlfriend pleasure.

She spent some time playing with Emily's breasts, knowing she liked that, before removing her skirt and slipping her fingers inside of her. Emily sighed, her eyes closing, and Paige could feel her body physically relax. She began to move her fingers in and out, slowly at first as she knew that was the way Emily liked it. She hated seeing her upset, and she was angry at whoever was messing with her like this. Emily was such a sweet, gentle girl. Who would want to do this to her?

She tried to shake the thought from her mind and focus on her naked girlfriend under her. She began thrusting faster now, watching the expression on Emily's face each time she rubbed against her clit on entry. The girl was seriously the most perfect thing she had ever seen.

"I love you," she whispered as she brought Emily closer and closer to climax. Emily tried to answer but only succeeded in letting out a loud moan. Paige chuckled, pleased with herself, and began thrusting faster and faster until Emily came, clenching hard around her fingers. She brought her down gently, waiting until she had relaxed before pulling out of her and leaning in to kiss her.

"I love you, too," Emily gasped breathlessly when she pulled away. "You are so fucking good at that."

Paige beamed proudly. She loved that she could make Emily feel so good. And that Emily could do the same for her. Her previous sexual relationship had been less than satisfactory, making this one that much more welcome.

"I'm glad you think so."

"Oh, I know so."

Paige kissed her gently. She seemed less tense, less afraid.

"Do you feel better, Em?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I do. Thank you."

"Of course."

"And if you give me a minute, it will be your turn next."

* * *

October 25

The following Monday, Paige was in her general chemistry lecture when her phone buzzed in her pocket. Normally she was a good student and she ignored it (or tried to), but she was bored and everyone else was sneaking peeks at their phones. So what would be the harm in her doing it, too?

She slipped it out of her pocket, opening the message. Her blood ran cold when she saw that it was from an unknown number, and even more so when she saw what it said.

 _I'm watching you, too._

She swallowed hard, feeling cold with fear. She slid her phone back into her pocket and tried to go back to the lecture without much success. Whoever this was had her number now, too. Was this just an elaborate prank? Or was it someone more dangerous who really wanted to get them? If it was the latter, she had no idea who it could be. She didn't think she had pissed anyone off recently. Everyone she had met at college so far seemed to like her. She didn't think Emily had made any enemies here, either. It to be a joke. Right?

She wasn't looking forward to telling Emily. She was already freaked out as it was, and she didn't want to be responsible for making things worse. She decided to try tag after Spencer when class was over and tell her. If anyone would know what to do, she would.

She immediately hurried after her when the class was over, pulling her aside in the hall. Spencer looked at her, confused.

"What?"

"I need to talk to you. Do you want to go to lunch or something?"

"Uh….. sure. Is everything okay with you and Emily?"

"Yes. More than okay. That's not what this is about."

"Okay. Dining hall?"

"Sure."

They made their way to the dining hall, settling at a table in the back with their food. Paige pulled out her phone, tapping on the message so Spencer could see it.

"I got this in class."

Spencer looked at it, raising her eyebrows. She looked at Paige.

"Who is this?"

"No idea. But Emily got one similar to that the other night when we were out for pizza. There was some weird stuff about a month ago too, where she got a few calls from an unknown number with no one answering. It seemed to just stop, but now we've gotten these. She's really scared, and I'm kind of freaked out now, too. But I don't want to tell her that because I don't want her to panic."

"This is weird," Spencer replied. "Do you think it's just a joke?"

"I don't know. That's what I'm hoping for."

"Well, is there anyone here you can think of who doesn't like one of you?"

"No. At least, I don't think so. Maybe a homophobe or something? But how would they have our numbers?"

"I don't know. Have you told your RA?"

"No. But I think maybe we should. I don't know, do you think we should go to the campus police?"

"You could, just so it's on file. But I don't know if they could do anything for you at this point."

"I know. We couldn't even tell them anyone who would want to upset us like this."

"Is there any way to find out where the texts are coming from?"

"Maybe. But I….." She trailed off. She may not know how, but she knew someone who did. "Caleb. Do you think he'll help me?"

"You guys have still been talking, right? I don't see why not."

"You're right. I'm going to ask him."

Later that day, she and Emily met up with Caleb at the student center. Paige was worried it would be awkward with both of them there, that maybe one or both of them would get upset, but they seemed fine. Caleb was such a good sport, especially since he was willing to help them.

"I'll need time," he told them. "Can you give me like, a day or two?"

"Of course," Paige replied. "We just want something to go off of if we need to tell the police or something."

"If this keeps up, I would definitely recommend that."

"We could tell Cece," Emily suggested, referencing their RA. Paige shrugged. Their RA was more or less useless.

"Well, I'll see what I can do," Caleb replied. "I can maybe tell you where it's coming from. You're assuming it's on campus?"

"Yeah. And it can't be a campus phone, because we've gotten texts."

"Okay. Tell me if you get any more."

"We will," Paige replied, holding Emily's hand under the table. "Caleb?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Of course," he replied, smiling at her. "That's what friends are for."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, guys! Glad you're enjoying the story!**

October 25

Tuesday afternoon, Paige was in the library working on her English paper. Aria was supposed to join her but had opted to study with Holden instead, provoking a grin from Paige as she told her not to worry about it. She would just pass time while she waited for Emily to be done with class so they could go to dinner like they had planned.

She couldn't stop thinking about Emily. She was so in love with her, and she had never felt so good. She was incredibly grateful she had had the courage to come out and give what they had a chance.

She hadn't heard back from Caleb yet, either. She had texted him this morning asking how it was going, but he hadn't answered. They hadn't gotten any more texts or calls since yesterday, but she knew that didn't mean they were in the clear.

Only a little while into her study session, Lyndon James from her chemistry class approached her table, clearing his throat. She looked up, startled. He creeped her out in all honestly, and although she felt guilty about it, she tried to avoid him. But he seemed very interested in talking with her, although she didn't know why.

"Are you working on chemistry?" he asked.

"Uh," she replied, looking down at her notes. "No. English paper."

"Oh."

"Did you need help?" she asked, figuring it would be better than to stay in an uncomfortable silence."

"No," he replied, his eyes fixed on her. She looked away, starting to feel nervous. Her other encounters with him normally happened with other people around. But here it was just them in the back of the library, with no one around to rescue her if she needed. She quickly started thinking of excuses to get away from him.

"Well, I was actually just about to leave," she lied, shoving her notebook into her bag. Maybe she could go to the computers in the student center and work there. "I'm meeting some friends."

"What friends?" he asked. She raised her eyebrow but didn't tell him off for being a creep like she wanted to.

"My friends. You know, like Aria and Spencer from our chem class."

"What about Emily?" he asked, moving closer. She swallowed hard, starting to feel warm with panic.

"Excuse me?"

"I've seen you two together," he replied. "Holding hands, kissing."

"Uh, okay. She's my girlfriend," she replied, standing up. She wondered if she could make a run for it.

"Why do you ignore me, Paige?"

"I-I don't," she stammered as he moved in closer. She was backed up against the wall now, with screaming for help her only means of escape.

"I just try to be nice to you," he continued, touching her cheek. Her heart was racing now, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She didn't know if he was going to hurt her or if he was just trying to scare her. Maybe he knew she tried to avoid him and he was angry. But she didn't think she made it that obvious. "Why do you seem so afraid of me?"

"Please, I need to go," she whispered, her mouth dry. "My friends are waiting for me. They know I'm here."

His lips curled into a smile at that. She realized she had said too much, that she had let on she was afraid of him. He put his hands on her hips.

"Stop!"

"Shhhh," he soothed. "The others will hear you."

"Get off her!"

Someone ripped Lyndon away from her, roughly slamming him into the shelf of books behind him. It was Toby, Paige saw, as she shrank back against the wall in relief.

"Should I yell for help?" Toby asked, holding onto Lyndon's shirt.

"No," Paige replied, shaking her head. "Let him go."

"Get lost," Toby snapped. "And don't let me see you near her again."

Lyndon stared at her a moment in the unnerving way he had before turning and disappearing between the book stacks. Paige sighed with relief, running to hug Toby.

"You're like a superhero."

"Paige, are you okay?" he asked, concerned. "What did he do to you?"

"Nothing. He just creeped me out," she replied. "And touched my hips. But that's all."

"Are you sure you don't want to report this?"

"I'm sure. I'm sure he's harmless," she answered, although she wasn't sure where that was coming from. Just a few minutes ago she had thought he was going to murder her with his bare hands.

"Maybe no more sitting in the very back of the library," he replied, offering her a kind smile. "Do you want me to keep you company in case he comes back? I certainly have plenty of work to do."

"Sure," she replied, grateful he had gotten there when he did and that he was so willing to protect her. "Thanks, Toby."

* * *

"He did _what_?"

"Em, relax," Paige protested. "It wasn't a big deal."

It was later that day and they had gone to dinner like they had planned at the Oak Diner, a favorite among the college students. Over grilled cheese and French fries Paige had told Emily about Lyndon in the library. Her girlfriend was worried.

"Not a big deal? Paige, it isn't okay for him to scare you like that! Or put his hands on you!"

"The hands thing was inappropriate, I'll admit. But the rest could have just been me overreacting. He creeps me out, so I immediately started thinking he was going to skin me alive or something when he started talking to me."

"Thank goodness Toby came along when he did," Emily replied. She gently placed her hand on Paige's leg. "Paige, if he keeps bothering you, please tell someone."

"I will," she promised.

"Do you think maybe he's the stalker?"

Paige thought for a moment. For some reason the thought hadn't even crossed her mind, although it did make sense. He was always leering at her and seemed to be fixated on her. But that didn't explain why he was targeting Emily. Unless he was doing it because he was jealous.

"Maybe," she agreed. "I didn't even think of that."

"It fits," Emily replied excitedly. "I mean, he obviously likes you and he's a creep. He could have gotten our numbers a ton of ways."

"It does make sense."

"Maybe now that we have a lead, we should tell someone."

"We could, I guess. Do we still have the pictures from our first date?"

"I saved them," Emily replied. "In case it kept happening."

"We'll see if we can find them. Maybe you're right. We should tell someone."

"We should. Paige, sweetie, if he's the one after us…. I'm scared that maybe he wants to hurt you."

"Us," Paige corrected. "You're involved, too. And since that's the case, we'll go to the campus police tomorrow."

Emily leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on the side of her face. Paige sighed, relaxing against her.

"Our first almost two months of college have been pretty crazy, huh?" she asked as Emily rested her head on her shoulder.

"Yes. But through all the crazy, they've been absolutely wonderful."

* * *

"This has been happening for how long?" Officer Garrett Reynolds asked.

"About a month," Emily replied. "Although it stopped for a couple weeks. And now it's starting again."

"Your lives have not been threatened, though?"

"Not at this point," Paige told him. "But the moves have been getting bolder. Like the other day when we got the messages about being watched. It's really creeping us out."

"Now, this Lyndon kid. You said he's in a class with you?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to transfer?"

"I don't think that's necessary. I just wanted this on record in case something else happens."

"Well, I'm glad you came to us," Officer Reynolds replied. "I'm afraid there's not much we can do at this point, but it's always good to have us aware of these things. I will tell you that it's unlikely it's more than some poor creep wanting attention. Okay? These people almost never mean harm."

"That's good to hear," Emily agreed.

"Thank you for your time, Officer," Paige told him as they stood up.

"Of course. Come see me if you have any other problems."

"We will."

The two girls left the campus security office, feeling better that what had been happening was at least on record. Maybe he was right, and it was just some attention seeking kid. Hopefully nothing more would come of it.

"You want to get some lunch?" Paige asked as they walked down the path towards the academic buildings, shivering in the cold fall breeze.

"I would love to."

On their way to the dining hall they bumped into Hanna and Aria, the former in the middle of ranting about her Halloween costume. There was a big party just off campus on Halloween, and Hanna was really agonizing over what to wear. Paige was actually looking forward to going; this was going to be the first party she and Emily went to since that disastrous one last month. They hadn't gone to one since they had first started dating, and she was actually excited for people to know they were there together. She used to think it was impossible to ever be open and honest. But with Emily at her side, she was surprised and how quickly she had been willing to move on.

"Like, I don't want to look too slutty. But I want to look cute. And I don't know what to do."

"You can look cute without looking slutty," Emily replied.

"And there's nothing wrong with dressing…. provocatively on Halloween," Paige added.

"That's what I said," Aria chimed in.

"What are you guys going as?" Hanna asked.

"Honestly, we haven't really thought about it," Emily admitted. Hanna gaped at her.

"Emily, Halloween is in a few days!"

"We know. We've been…. occupied," she replied, smiling at Paige. Hanna rolled her eyes.

"Having a girlfriend does not excuse you not picking out a Halloween costume. We're going to the Halloween store after lunch."

"You're ridiculous."

"We're going to pick you out something short and skimpy," she added. Emily sighed.

"Paige, help me out."

"I'm not going to argue with short and skimpy," she replied. Emily tried to give her a look, but couldn't help laughing.

"Thanks, babe."

"What about me?" Paige asked. "I don't really do short and skimpy."

"Hey!" Emily exclaimed.

"We'll find you something," Hanna assured her.

"Were you guys coming from campus security?" Aria asked as they went into the dining hall. "I meant to ask."

"Yeah," Paige replied. "It's a long story. We'll tell you over lunch."

* * *

Later that night, Caleb called. He didn't have much to tell them other than that he thought the calls and texts were being made from a disposable phone. Which made them more or less untraceable. Paige was pretty sure they knew who the stalker was, and if it was in fact Lyndon, she wasn't sure if she should be afraid for her life or not. Sure, he was creepy, but she wasn't sure if he would actually try to hurt them or not.

She and Emily were in their room, studying. During homework time they had a rule that they couldn't sit together on a bed, or they would end up distracted by each other. So Paige was on her bed while Emily sat at her desk, and they were actually being pretty productive. Until Emily's cell phone rang. They both looked at each other and then at the phone as it buzzed continuously on the bed.

"Should I answer it?" she asked.

"See who it is," Paige suggested. "If it's them, don't."

Emily nodded, picking her phone up. Sure enough, the call was from an unknown number.

"Yeah."

"Don't answer it, then," Paige replied, and went back to her work.

"Paige, what do we do? We shouldn't have to worry about something like this."

"I know," she replied gently. "That's why we should just ignore it. Maybe it will stop."

"What if it doesn't?"

"Let's not think about that," she responded, closing her book. "Come here."

Emily did as she was told, climbing onto the bed. Paige put her arms around her, holding her close.

"I know this isn't what you had in mind going to college. But we can get through it together."

"Yeah. We can."

"I won't let anyone hurt you," Paige promised. "You're safe with me."

Emily smiled and nodded. She knew that was true, and at least for the time being it eased her worries.


	13. Chapter 13

October 31

On Halloween, Paige and Emily prepared to go to the house just off campus that threw a rager every year. Paige really didn't want to go, as these huge parties really weren't her scene and she had only been to two so far, but Emily seemed like she was excited about it so she didn't say anything. She could put up with drunken idiots slobbering all over each other for a little bit as long as Emily was there with her. Besides, it was their first party appearance as girlfriends, and she was a little excited about that. Nervous too though, because she wasn't interested in drawing any attention from guys who thought they could get both girls at once.

Through her anxiety, she just told herself that she and Emily could have some quiet time alone after the party. Their friends would be there, and she was sure she could have a good time if she just stopped worrying.

It was around nine when they left their dorm with Hanna and Aria. Emily had settled on a cheerleader, which had been suggested by Hanna and approved by Paige. She could look at her legs in that skirt all night, and she looked absolutely adorable with the cheap, sparkly pom poms. Paige, much to her chagrin, had been guilted into wearing what she thought was a cowgirl outfit with ridiculously short overall shorts. But, Emily had asked, and she figured if her girlfriend was going to be walking around half dressed for her pleasure she may as well do the same. Besides, it wasn't like she was ashamed of her body. She just didn't know if showing it off to a bunch of drunken college guys was a good idea.

"I hate this costume," she whined, trying to discretely pick a wedgie that had been annoying her since she had put it on. "I hate you, Hanna."

"Hey. It was Emily who gave you the puppy eyes, not me."

"Come on, Paige," Emily replied, wrapping her arms around her as they walked. "You look so sexy."

"I do?" Paige asked as Hanna and Aria smirked at each other. Emily nodded, kissing the side of her face.

"So sexy. And, since I can barely keep my hands off you in that costume…"

"Oh my God," Aria replied, covering her face.

"Ooh, what?" Hanna asked eagerly.

Paige was blushing furiously. She wasn't used to her sex life being discussed with her friends; she normally gave as few details as possible. If she and Emily were alone it would be a different story, but she felt funny being promised sex with Hanna smirking at her.

"None of your business," Emily replied. She winked at Paige.

"I need a beer," Aria added as they walked into the house. It was swarming with people dressed in skimpy Halloween costumes, music blasting. They spotted Spencer and Toby right away, Spencer looking irritated as an obviously drunk girl hit on Toby.

"I need a drink, too," Paige agreed. This was going to be a long night. "Em, you want anything?"

"I would love some vodka and cranberry juice," she replied, kissing the side of her face. She tensed, but no one even seemed to notice.

"Okay. Toby, Aria, why don't you come with me?"

Spencer nodded gratefully at her as Toby finally escaped his new friend. They made their way to the noisy kitchen, where they successfully secured drinks for their group before heading back into the living room. Paige handed Emily hers and gulped down a good portion of her beer, needing a buzz to get through the loud music and the screaming. She was definitely more of a hang out in a quiet place with her friends kind of girl.

"So, how's your stalker?" Hanna asked. Aria glared at her.

" _Hanna_."

"What?"

"Don't ask something like that!"

"It's fine," Emily replied. "We haven't heard anything since we talked to the campus police."

"That's good, right?" Spencer asked.

"We don't know," Paige sighed. "This happened last month, and then they came back."

"And you think it's that creep I pulled off of you in the library?" Toby asked.

"Maybe," Emily confirmed. "I mean, it makes sense if he likes her and he's jealous."

"He hasn't tried to talk to me since," Paige added. "The campus police contacted him. He knows he's been reported and he's on watch."

"Oooh," Hanna replied. 'I'm hungry. Did you see any food?"

"Sandwiches," Aria replied. "If you're going to drink as much as last time, you should eat something."

"I really shouldn't drink too much," Paige replied, realizing too late as she looked at her already empty beer cup. "Getting these overalls off to pee is going to be a bitch."

"Just pace yourself," Aria suggested.

"Doesn't she look so hot?" Emily asked, licking her lips as she looked at her girlfriend. Paige blushed.

"Definitely," Hanna agreed.

"I told you no one would be gawking at you for showing you and Emily are in a relationship, too," Spencer added. "Everyone's too drunk."

"I don't know why I was so anxious," Paige replied, taking Emily's hand. "I really can't explain why coming out is so scary."

"It just is," Emily replied. "Anyone who's been there gets it. But it does get easier, right?"

"Yeah," Paige agreed, smiling at her. "I was struggling with it for so long. I think once I came here and met you, I was just…. ready."

"They're so cute!" Hanna squealed. "You guys are fucking precious."

"Look at Paige blushing," Spencer laughed. Paige hid her face.

Emily smiled, taking her girlfriend's hand. Paige was so shy and she found it absolutely adorable. The two of them were like peas in a pod and even though they had only been friends for two months and girlfriends for one, she felt as if they had always known each other.

"I love you," she whispered, so only Paige could hear her. Paige smiled and pulled her in for a kiss, her brazenness coming partially from the alcohol and partially from her overwhelming love for Emily.

"I love you, too."

She decided she didn't mind the atmosphere of the party. She was too in love to care about much of anything. Her happiness mixed with the alcohol she had already consumed led to poor decision making, and before she knew it she had a stomach full of beer and an even fuller bladder. She shifted uncomfortably, turning to Emily. Her girlfriend was a little tipsy too, and she was swaying slightly on the spot as she listened to Hanna's alcohol induced story.

"Em," she whimpered. "I have to pee."

"Kay," Emily replied. She said nothing else.

"Em."

"What?"

"I can't get these dumb things off," she pouted, pulling at the overall straps. "I knew it!"

"Calm down," Emily soothed, fiddling with Paige's straps. "Uh oh."

Paige whimpered again, bouncing on the spot as Emily tried to undo the straps on her overalls.

"What the fuck?"

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked. As usual, she was the only one who hadn't had too much to drink.

"I need to pee and I can't get these dumb things off," she complained. Spencer chuckled. "It's not funny!"

"It is. You get so whiny when you're drunk," she replied, easily popping them open. "Go pee."

She laughed again as Paige ran out of the room. Emily couldn't help but giggle, too.

"She's funny."

"I think it's time you both stop drinking."

"I'm not even drunk," Emily protested. "Just buzzed."

"If you say so."

Emily waited for Paige, suddenly realizing how horny she was. She was definitely more than a little buzzed, and she couldn't help herself when Paige got back from the bathroom.

"Paige," she started loudly. "Let's go fuck."

"Uh," Paige replied, her cheeks turning pink as she stuffed her hands in her pockets.

"You blush a lot," Emily told her, squishing her cheeks. "You're so cute!"

"You guys should go," Spencer suggested as Emily draped herself on her girlfriend. "Before you totally embarrass yourselves."

"Yeah," Paige agreed. "Em, let's go back." She was definitely a little drunk, but not so drunk that she would be willing to have sex in this filthy house. She would much rather go back to the dorm, where they could just pass out after.

Emily nodded in agreement, not wasting any time in pulling Paige outside. The air was cold and smelled of wood burning stoves, a sign that the colder weather was in fact on the way. A stiff wind blew past them as they walked, giggling and holding each other close for warmth.

"I'm so cold," Emily whined, her teeth chattering. Neither one of them had dressed appropriately for the day before November.

"I know," Paige soothed, although her own legs were covered in goosebumps. "We'll get you all warmed up."

"Oooh," Emily purred, grinning. Her smile faded as she looked across the street and she stopped walking.

"Em?"

"Look," she whispered. Paige followed her gaze, fear washing over her when she saw a hooded figure standing there, watching them. It was too dark to see a face, but they both knew whoever it was didn't want to be friends. "I'm scared."

"Shhh," Paige whispered back. "We're almost back on campus."

They started walking again. Paige was scolding herself internally for drinking too much; she was afraid if they had to she wouldn't be able to fight to her usual ability. She thought maybe they could scream for help if necessary, but she didn't know who would hear them. Their best bet was to run for the dorm.

"They're following us," Emily whimpered as she and Paige walked briskly through the campus gate. Paige turned to look, and sure enough the hooded figure was walking after them.

"Fuck!" she hissed, tugging on Emily's arm to get her to move faster. "Em, move!"

"I'm drunk," she complained. "I can't move fast."

"Try!" she replied desperately. The figure was approaching the campus gates. "God damn it Emily, run!"

She did, although not well. They somehow made it to their dorm still standing, Paige quickly unlocking the door and slamming it behind them. Emily burst into tears as soon as they were safe in the warm, brightly lit lobby, burying her face in her hands. Paige hugged her tightly, feeling the overwhelming urge to start crying herself. The alcohol wasn't helping, either.

"Baby, it's okay," she soothed, rubbing her hands up and down Emily's back. "It's okay. We're safe."

"I'm scared," she sobbed. Paige held her, her heart breaking at how afraid she was. Thankfully, they hadn't been so impaired they were able to get back safely, but she didn't know what they were going to do about this. Never go out after dark? Emily had an evening class Tuesday and Thursday, and it was getting dark earlier and earlier every day. Not to mention all of her late days at the library. She held her girlfriend tight, her mind spinning, deciding that when they were more sober they would have to make a plan.

"It's okay, Em," she whispered soothingly. "I'm here. It's okay."

Emily sniffed, wiping her eyes. Paige led her up to their room, unlocking the door and turning their light on once they were inside. She locked the door, making a show of it for Emily, and flopped down on her bed.

"See, this is why I don't like Halloween."

"Paige?" she asked, curling up next to her.

"Yeah?"

"Can we still have sex?"

"Sure," Paige replied, glancing at her. She gently touched her cheek. "Don't be scared, Em."

"I feel better now," she assured her, struggling to remove her costume. "Wow. This is hard drunk."

"Yeah," Paige agreed, fiddling with her own clothes. "Spencer made it look so easy."

"Wait!" Emily exclaimed, as if she had just had the most brilliant idea in the world. "Why don't you just slide them off?"

"Oh!" Paige did as she suggested, easily sliding the straps down her shoulders. She beamed at Emily. "You're so smart."

That was the beauty of the alcohol; it took the fear out of the evening, and just like that they were able to move on with each other. Maybe, Paige thought as she slid her fingers inside Emily, tomorrow they wouldn't even remember it happening.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks for sticking with this story! Sorry it's been so long in between updates, but I've been so busy with work and what not. Hope you enjoy!**

November 3

The weather had officially turned cold. The trees were rapidly losing their leaves and the campus was covered in them. It was microwave hot chocolate and cuddle weather now, something Paige and Emily were thoroughly enjoying in their newfound relationship. Of course, they also had stress that most new couples didn't have. The fear of being followed around whenever it was dark out, something that had proven to be difficult since Emily had a late class two nights a week. Paige, even if somewhat irrationally, was terrified her girlfriend would be followed back and possibly attacked by this hooded stalker. They had both fully remembered being followed home Halloween night, and although they had reported it to campus security, there wasn't anything they could do. Until they had proof of who was after them, there was nothing they could do but be careful.

The two of them had discussed it, and Paige had practically begged to just study in the lobby where she had class and let them walk back together. Emily agreed, because she wasn't exactly eager with the idea of walking all the way back by herself. So tonight she and Paige went for dinner with Spencer and Toby in the dining hall, and then off to Wilfork Hall where she had her ancient literature class. Paige settled down in the empty, dimly lit lobby to study while she waited for her class to be over. She was by herself, as the lobbies were usually empty this late, and she felt a little uneasy. She didn't know why, since there were classes going on around her and she could call for help if she needed it. But she couldn't help the feeling of unease settling over her as she pulled out her chemistry notebook, already wishing she was back in her room with Emily. It wasn't a surprise she was afraid; what had happened Halloween night had been pretty scary. Especially since they had been intoxicated enough she was worried they wouldn't be able to run. Now she was just wondering when the next thing was going to happen, and if they were being watched. Maybe she was being watched right now. The thought made her cautiously look around. No one was there.

"You're losing it," she muttered to herself, and she set to work.

* * *

Emily was struggling not to fall asleep. Taking a class on the works of Homer and Sophocles this late probably wasn't the best idea. She loved all kinds of literature, although she did find the ancient kind a little less interesting than the British classics. Not to mention, her professor could make anything boring.

She was anxious about the walk back to the dorm. She was glad she had Paige with her, but she was also starting to feel a little selfish for agreeing to have them walk together. Sure, she didn't want to walk in the dark alone after what had happened on Halloween. But she felt guilty for putting Paige in danger, too. She knew her girlfriend didn't see it that way, but she did. She was afraid and angry at the same time, because they should be able to enjoy their new romance their first year of college without having to worry about some crazed stalker. Her jumbled thoughts were at least keeping her awake, but she didn't hear a word the professor was saying. She was too busy worrying about getting back to the dorm.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She tensed, automatically assuming she didn't want to see who it was from. She slid it partially out of her pocket, and sure enough the message was from the same unknown number.

 _You can't hide from me._

She swallowed hard, suddenly feeling dizzy. They were going to have to get to the bottom of this. They couldn't keep living in fear, wondering if they were being watched and if someone actually wanted to hurt them. She was determined in that moment to find out who was doing this and put a stop to it. Or, at least try. They could enlist the help of all their friends. Spencer was smart and Toby a good sleuth. Hanna was nosy and Aria was quiet, so she could listen. They all had good qualities for detective work. When she got out of her class, she and Paige could call an emergency meeting in their room.

She was the first one out of the classroom when the professor dismissed them. She found Paige in the lobby, head bent over her textbook. She smiled, gently shaking her shoulder.

"Paige?"

"Uh?" Paige replied, jerking awake. "Oh. Hi, Em."

"Tired?" she asked as Paige stood up.

"Yeah. A little."

"I'm sorry, Paige. I shouldn't have agreed for-."

"Em, don't. I wanted to," she assured her. "I don't want you walking back in the dark alone."

"I was thinking," Emily started as they stepped out into the chilly fall night. "When we get back, let's call our friends over and we can talk about finding out who's doing this and put a stop to it. College shouldn't be about worrying if you're going to be axe murdered."

"That's a good idea," Paige agreed, looking around as they walked.

"I got another message. Telling me I can't hide."

"Oh."

"We have to find out who's doing this, Paige. We should just have this time to be in love and enjoy college."

"Agreed," Paige replied. "I'm sorry, Em. If this is Lyndon. It's my fault."

"Paige, don't say that."

"It's true. If he does like me and he's jealous of you, then…."

"That's his fault. Not yours."

"I guess. I just feel responsible."

"Thank goodness we're back," Emily sighed as they stepped into their dorm. "I'll send out a group text. But sweetie, don't feel responsible. I don't feel that way at all."

Paige smiled. She knew that was true. But she couldn't help but feel it was her fault she was in harm's way.

A little while later, Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Toby were all gathered in a circle on the floor in their room. Hanna, as usual, had dug into their food, claiming eating helped her think. Spencer was happy to take charge of the planning, with the help of Emily and Paige giving her details.

"Okay. Emily, Paige, is there anyone you can think of that you've met here who would be doing this? Other than Lyndon."

"No," Emily replied. "I don't think I've pissed anyone off. Not to my knowledge, at least."

"Same here," Paige replied.

"What about Caleb?" Aria asked. "He lives close enough and you did break his heart."

"No way!" Paige exclaimed, and Spencer nodded in agreement. "He wouldn't do that. He isn't angry. Besides, that would be a lot of work for him to keep driving back and forth just to scare us. He wouldn't."

Well…. okay."

"I've known him for a while," Spencer replied. "I find that highly unlikely."

"Caleb is really hot," Hanna added. Everyone stared at her. "What?"

"Moving on," Spencer continued. "Toby, it will be your job to cozy up to Lyndon."

"Me? Why me?"

"Because he's probably afraid of you. Find out if he's harboring resentment towards Paige for not being interested in him."

"Okay."

"Hanna and Aria, casually mention around that your friends have a stalker. I'm sure by now everyone knows. See if anyone seems suspicious. Listen."

"I'm good at that," Hanna replied.

"As for you two, keep me informed of any more messages or calls you might get," Spencer told them. "What they say, how threatening they are. If you get anything handwritten, I'm sure the police can do something with that."

"You should be a detective," Hanna suggested. "You're so good at this."

"This is surreal," Emily sighed, leaning against Paige. "This is not what anyone has in mind when they go to college."

"I know," Spencer replied sympathetically. "We're going to help you guys. Don't worry."

"At least you've gotten the romantic experience," Hanna added. Emily smiled, looking at her girlfriend. That was true.

"Yeah."

"This may sound weird, but this is a little excited," Aria chimed in. "Like, not that you guys are being stalked of course, but that we get to sleuth."

"What does that even mean?" Hanna asked.

"Snoop," Paige told her, unable to help laughing. Hanna wasn't amused.

"We'll get to the bottom of this," Spencer promised. "No matter what it takes."

* * *

The next day, Emily was on her way to meet Paige in the library when she saw a familiar blonde walking towards her. A blonde she had never wanted to see again. Her heart sank as Alison stopped in front of her, arms crossed.

"What are you doing here?"

"We never got to talk," Alison replied. "You were with that… that _girl_."

"Her name is Paige," Emily snapped. "And she's my girlfriend."

Alison's expression changed from blank to furious. Emily was angry, too; Alison had no right to just show up here. Especially when their breakup had been completely because of her.

"Leave. I don't want to talk to you," she continued, pushing past her.

"Are you going to see her?"

"Yes. I am. What are you going to do about it?"

Alison stared at her, clenching her fists. Emily almost wondered if she was going to hit her. She took a step back. She really didn't understand why she was so furious; she hadn't acted at all like a girlfriend should when they had been together. But now here she was, begging to talk and angry at the mere mention of Paige.

"I'm leaving," Emily told her softly. "Don't come back."

She turned and began walking, taking a deep breath. She didn't even turn around to look back at her. She just wanted to get to Paige.

It was a windy, chilly day and Emily found herself shivering as she went into the library. She went straight to the back of the library where no one but Paige liked to sit, and as she approached her girlfriend all alone, and idea hit her. Paige always sat in the back of the library, hidden by shelves and shelves of books. She looked up as Emily approached her, smiling.

"Hi, Em."

Emily didn't answer. Instead she leaned in and kissed her passionately, pulling her to her feet. Paige was surprised but kissed back, wrapping her arms around Emily. She wasn't sure where this was coming from, but she wasn't about to complain.

"Sit down," Emily commanded. "Undo your jeans."

Paige stared at her, wide eyed. She suddenly realized the lust in Emily's eyes.

"Emily, what-?"

"Trust me," Emily whispered, kissing her neck. Paige whimpered.

"Em, I…. what if we get caught?"

"I'll be fast," she promised as Paige undid her jeans. She was shaking with anticipation and fear of getting caught. On the one hand, as Emily kneeled down between her legs, this was exciting. But she was also afraid someone might see them. She could only imagine what her parents would have to say about being caught like this. Grounded for life? Maybe even thrown in jail? She was about to suggest that this wasn't a good idea when Emily's mouth connected with her center, silencing any protest she had. She sighed, lacing her fingers through Emily's hair as her tongue worked expertly on her clit. The pleasure was overwhelming, especially with the excitement of being in public, and she knew it wasn't going to take her long to come. She bit her lip, trying her hardest not to make any noise. It certainly wasn't easy though, and when she came she bit down on her hand to keep from crying out and attracting attention. Emily waited until she was finished before pulling away, grinning as Paige quickly pulled her pants back up.

"What the hell?" she asked breathlessly.

"Just thought it would be fun," she replied as Paige slumped down in her chair. But truthfully, she had just needed to feel her love.

"Holy shit. I've never done anything so… public."

"Paige, there's no one here."

"Someone could have come back."

"No one did," Emily replied, kissing her. "Stop worrying."

"Oh my God! Do they have cameras back here?"

"Paige, relax," Emily soothed. "Only by the door. Besides, they don't just go back and watch the cameras for fun."

Paige smiled, leaning in to kiss her. She was right, there was nothing to worry about.

"Well, thank you for that surprise," she replied. "If you want to go back to the room, I can pay you back. I don't feel comfortable doing it here."

"That's fine," Emily assured her. "I don't want to end your studying."

"Believe me, it's fine," Paige assured her, and she packed up her books in seconds.

* * *

Later that night, the two of them were relaxing together in their room. Paige had finally put away the books and they were cuddled together under the covers watching TV, thinking it was nice to finally relax. Well, until Emily's phone buzzed, signaling a text message.

"I don't want to look," she sighed.

"May as well."

She reached over and took her cell phone off the table. The message was from the blocked number.

"It's a picture," she replied, confused as she opened it. When she realized what she was looking at, she gasped.

"What?" Paige asked, trying to see over her shoulder. Her eyes widened in horror when she realized what she was looking at. The picture Emily had gotten was of them earlier in the library, Emily's face between her legs as her head was tilted back, mouth open in pleasure. Someone had been watching them. "Holy shit."

"Oh my God. They were watching us. Whoever this is was there the whole time."

"What are we going to do?" Paige moaned. "If this gets out we could be expelled!"

"We're not going to be expelled, Paige. Calm down."

"Calm down? Emily, this is not good."

"Maybe I should text back. Ask them to not send these out."

"You think they're going to listen?"

"Well, it's worth a try."

"No. Don't. Maybe we should just ignore it."

"What good will that do?"

"I don't know. But responding to them won't help."

"This is ridiculous," Emily replied, tossing her phone down. "Dealing with a stalker was not what I had in my mind for my first year of college."

"I know," Paige replied sympathetically. "It isn't what I had in mind, either."

"At least we have each other," Emily whispered, leaning against her. "Yeah. You're what's keeping me sane."

"I'm sorry, Paige. If I had known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have done that today."

"It's okay, Em. Besides, it was pretty exciting. I just really don't need this getting around campus."

"Well, I don't want that either. But I don't think that's what this person had in mind. I think they sent that to us to scare us, to show they were watching."

"That makes sense," Paige agreed. She hoped that was it. "I hope."

"We'll figure out who's doing this, Paige. I promise."

"We need to do it soon," she replied. "Or I don't know what they'll try next."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! I'm glad you all are still sticking with the story.**

November 20

"Em, don't you need to pack?" Paige asked. It was Tuesday night and they were leaving for Thanksgiving break the next morning. Paige was excited to go home. As much as she loved it at school, she was looking forward to seeing her parents and sleeping in her own bed. She was also hoping for a few nights of peace where she didn't constantly have to be looking over her shoulder for someone dressed all in black, watching her. The picture they had gotten of themselves being intimate in the library had scared her, and she had been terrified the campus was going to see it. But Emily seemed to be right, and the intent of sending that picture had been to show they were being watched. There had been more pictures since them; some of them walking hand in hand around campus, leaving class, and one even of them walking into their dorm. They had shown all but the library pictures the campus police, who still really weren't able to help them. Toby had been hanging around Lyndon as promised, but he said he hadn't seen any signs to prove he was the stalker. At this point, they still hadn't been threatened, but Paige was unnerved and looking forward to the safety of her home.

Emily, on the other hand, didn't seem excited at all. Whenever Paige talked about going home she changed the subject, and instead of packing she was lying on her bed, reading a book.

"I'm not going home," she replied causally. Paige stopped and stared at her.

"What?" she asked, sure she had heard wrong. She couldn't be staying here alone for Thanksgiving.

"I'm staying here. My dad won't be home and I don't want to spend the holidays with someone who thinks I'm an abomination," Emily replied, shrugging like it didn't matter. But it did. The thought of spending Thanksgiving all alone was very upsetting, but she felt funny asking anyone if she could come along with them. Even Paige. She seemed so excited about seeing her family, and Emily didn't want to intrude.

"You're going to stay here? By yourself?" Paige asked, stunned. Emily nodded.

"Guess so."

"No way. No."

"Paige, it's fine."

"It's not. You're not staying here by yourself for the holidays, Em. You're coming home with me."

"Paige, are you sure?" Emily asked. She was grateful for the offer and she did want to meet Paige's parents, but she felt guilty about invading their family time.

"Absolutely," Paige replied, sitting down with her on the bed. "Babe, you're my girlfriend and I love you. I'm not going to let you stay here by yourself for Thanksgiving, especially with all that's been happening."

"What about your parents? They don't know about us."

"You can still meet them. And I promise, I will tell them soon. I just need a little more time."

Emily nodded. Paige hugged her tightly, hoping her parents wouldn't make her feel this rejected. She had always thought parents were supposed to love their children unconditionally no matter what. But Emily was proof that sometimes that wasn't true, and it terrified her.

"Thank you, Paige," she whispered, holding her close. "I really didn't want to stay here all by myself."

"You should have just asked, honey," Paige replied, kissing her. "I had no idea. I just assumed you were going home."

"My only home now is wherever you are," Emily replied. Paige's eyes filled with tears.

"That is so sweet, Em. That's like, a fairytale line or something."

"I mean it."

"I know you do," Paige replied, smiling at her. "Come on. You've got some packing to do."

* * *

The next morning, Paige and Emily left early in Paige's car for the house. It was a half hour drive and they listened to Christmas music on the radio as Emily prepared to meet her girlfriend's parents. Of course, they didn't know that part, but she was nervous anyway. She wanted them to like her so when they did find out, maybe they wouldn't be too upset.

"Don't look so nervous," Paige told her as they pulled up to the house. "They'll love you."

"It was really nice of them to let me come here."

"Tell them that. It will win them over immediately," Paige replied as they got out of the car. They got their bags and went up to the door, ringing the doorbell. An attractive woman who looked like a slightly older version of Paige answered the door, her face lighting up when she saw them.

"Paige!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her daughter. "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Mom."

"I'm so glad to see you here, honey," she replied, cupping her face in her hands. She kissed her forehead, much to Paige's embarrassment. "And this must be Emily."

"Yes," Paige replied, smiling at a very bashful Emily standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"It's very nice to meet you," Emily told her. "Thank you very much for letting me stay."

"Oh, of course. We're happy to have you. Nick! The girls are here!"

A tall man she assumed to be Paige's father came out of the kitchen. He wasted no time in pulling his daughter in for a hug.

"Hi, princess."

"Hi, Dad. I missed you."

"I missed you, too," he replied, tousling her hair like he always used to do when she was a little kid. "And, this must be your roommate. Emily, is it?"

"Yes, sir," Emily replied, looking a little more intimidated than she had just before. Nick McCullers had that effect on people. "Thank you very much for letting me spend Thanksgiving with you."

"We're happy to have you. Paige speaks very highly of you."

"We were very excited to meet you," Paige's mother agreed. "Where are you from, Emily? Was it too far for you to go home?"

"No, I live about twenty minutes from here," she replied, deciding to tell the truth. Their reaction would gage how they would react about their daughter. "I'm a lesbian, and my mom hasn't really accepted it."

Paige held her breath as she waited for a reaction. Her parents seemed surprised at first, like they hadn't been expecting to hear that, but her mother recovered quickly.

"That's horrible, turning your back on your child like that," she replied. Paige almost burst into tears with relief. They wouldn't hate her. "Emily, I'm very sorry. You're always welcome here."

"Thank you, Mrs. McCullers."

"Please, call me Laura. Come on, I'll fix you girls some lunch."

They followed Laura to the kitchen, where she fixed them lunch and then sat and talked to them while they ate. She definitely seemed like she liked Emily already. What wasn't to like, Paige thought as she looked at her girlfriend.

"I'm glad to hear you two like it so much at school," Laura told them. They had obviously left out the stalker part. Neither one of them even knew where to begin. "Emily, what's your major?"

"English and writing," Emily replied. "I hope to be a journalist."

"Oh, that's exciting. How long have you wanted to do that?"

"Pretty much as long as I can remember."

"That's how Paige has been with medical school."

"She's very studious," Emily agreed, winking at her. "I don't know how she gets such good grades with such difficult classes."

"We're very proud of her," Laura replied, beaming.

"Thanks, Mom."

"Paige, honey, do you mind if I ask what happened with Caleb?"

"It just wasn't meant to be."

"You dated for over two years."

"Yeah, but more because we felt like we should. It's okay, Mom. We both think it was the right decision."

"You're staying friends?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Is there any other guy you're interested in? There must be tons to choose from."

"No. I have to go to the bathroom," Paige announced, standing up so quickly she almost knocked her chair over. "I'll be right back."

Paige's mother looked at Emily questioningly as Paige left the room. Emily just shrugged, hoping Paige would tell the truth soon.

* * *

Later that night, the two of them were curled up in Paige's childhood bed, talking softly with the TV on for background noise. Her parents had gone to bed a while ago, and of course they had no problem with Emily sleeping in their daughter's room since they thought she was just a friend sleeping on the floor. Paige felt a little guilty about not being truthful, but she just wasn't ready yet for them to know who Emily really was.

"My parents love you," she told Emily, gently stroking her head. "My dad is very impressed with your football knowledge."

"Hopefully that won't change when they find out who I really am."

"I think it will be okay. I want to tell them soon."

"Don't feel rushed."

"I won't."

"I'm very proud of you, you know. How quickly you've accepted yourself."

"You helped," Paige replied, looking at her. "I love you, Emily."

"I love you too, babe."

A soft kiss turned into a more passionate one, complete with tongue. Before they knew it Paige was on top of Emily, pajamas scattered on the floor.

"Paige," Emily gasped. "Your parents."

Paige kept on kissing her. It was getting harder to do the right thing.

"This is your childhood bed," she added weakly. Paige raised her eyebrows at her.

"Emily. I've had sex in this bed plenty of times."

Those words completely changed her thinking. She wasn't jealous of Caleb; she knew Paige loved her. But if he had gotten to make love to her here, it was only fair she did, too.

Without warning she flipped them so she was straddling Paige, pinning her down under her. Paige moaned as Emily cupped her wet center, rubbing her clit with her thumb.

"You are absolutely soaked," she remarked, her finger stroking Paige's opening. "You have to be quiet. Can you do that?"

"Uh," Paige replied, opening her legs as Emily slipped two fingers inside of her.

"Shhhh."

Paige bit her lip, trying to keep her moans of pleasure to a minimum as Emily fucked her. She was doing it just the way Paige liked, too; slow but hard. Then as she got closer to the edge Emily would speed up and it would be nearly impossible not to scream out loud.

"Emily," she moaned, all of her muscles clenching. There was absolutely no doubt Emily was the best lover she had ever had.

"You need to be quiet, Paige," Emily reminded her. "This is not how you want your parents to find out."

Paige nodded and covered her mouth to at least muffle the sounds she was making. She was already close and she could feel herself tightening around Emily's fingers.

Once Emily began rubbing her clit with her other hand she was a goner. She came hard, so overwhelmed with pleasure she didn't even care if anyone heard her. Emily brought her down gently, coaxing as much pleasure from her as she could before gently pulling her fingers out, licking them clean. Paige watched her, her eyes hazy.

"You were not quiet," Emily chuckled, lying down next to her. Paige grinned.

"Sorry. That's what you do to me."

"Trying to butter me up?"

"It's the truth," she replied, snuggling against her. "I'm so glad you came here with me, Emily."

"I am, too. It means so much to me that you asked me to come."

Paige smirked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"You haven't yet."

"You're such a perv."

"But you love it."

"I love you. So much."

"I love you, too," Paige agreed, her fingers wandering further down to her girlfriend's center. "And now I'm going to show you."

* * *

Thanksgiving morning was quiet and peaceful. Emily and Paige helped Nick and Laura decorate the Christmas tree, after Paige bashfully explained it was a family tradition. Emily was thrilled, assuring her that she loved the holidays. They all watched the football games together, while talking and eating their fill of every delicious thing Laura had cooked. Emily was definitely glad she had come here with Paige instead of sitting alone at school for the weekend.

But at Thanksgiving dinner, Paige unexpectedly dropped her bombshell. She hadn't been prepared to do it herself. She didn't even know how it had come up. But before she could register what happened, her secret was out.

"So many people come to the church on Christmas now," Nick was saying. "There almost isn't room for everyone to sit. Emily, are you Catholic?"

"No," Emily replied apologetically. "My mother is, but…. she's kind of turned me off to it."

"I understand," he replied. "Our church tries not to do that sort of thing. I mean, people use that one part of the Bible-."

"I'm gay," Paige blurted, unable to stop herself even if she had wanted to. The room went completely silent as both of her parents turned to stare at her. Emily looked away awkwardly.

"What?" Nick asked.

"I said I'm gay," she repeated, tears coming to her eyes. She suddenly felt like crying, even though no one had said anything yet. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, Paige," Emily told her softly.

"Mom?" Paige whispered, her voice breaking. "Dad?"

"Oh, Paige," Laura replied, getting up and going over to her daughter. She wrapped her arms around her, and the simple gesture was enough to make Paige burst into tears. "Sweetheart, please don't cry."

But she couldn't stop. She just sat wrapped in her mother's arms and cried like she used to do when she was little and she would fall down or have a bad dream. And then she felt her father's hand on her arm, telling her it was okay.

"We love you, Paige," Laura told her daughter, stroking her hair. Emily looked on proudly, with a small twinge of sadness that her parents hadn't been the same way with her. "Nothing will ever change that."

"You'll always be our little girl," Nick added.

"We wish you had told us sooner," Laura replied.

"I didn't want to disappoint you," she admitted, wiping her eyes.

"Oh, honey. You could never disappoint us."

"We're glad you told us the truth," Nick agreed. "I admit I wasn't expecting that, but nothing will change the fact that you're my daughter and I love you."

"Thanks, Daddy."

"So… is Emily your girlfriend?" Laura asked, excited. Emily blushed as all eyes shifted to her.

"Yes," Paige replied, smiling as she reached out to take Emily's hand. "Surprise."

"Um," Nick started awkwardly. "That's great news, but I think maybe she should be staying on the couch while she's here."

"We don't need to make her sleep on the couch," Laura replied. "But the door needs to stay wide open."

"That sounds fair," Paige agreed. They could find a way around that, as long as Emily could stay in her room.

"We love you so much, Paige," Laura told her. "You know that, don't you?"

"I do," she replied, sniffling. "Thank you. I'm so glad you know now."

"I told you that you could do it," Emily whispered to her. Paige smiled, nodding.

"Yeah. Thank you."

"What do you say we get back to dinner?" Nick suggested. And they all sat back in their seats and went back to eating and talking like nothing was different. But everything was. She didn't have to hide anymore, and it felt even better than she thought. For the moment, she felt invincible.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: So sorry for the waits in between. I have been really busy with work, and I've been so exhausted when I'm not working. Hope you enjoy the update!**

November 27

The following week, it was back to school to prepare for the final weeks of classes before finals. Paige was relieved that soon she would get to go home for a month. As much as she loved school and the people she had met, she had felt so secure at home, something she hadn't been feeling lately at school with this hooded figure watching their every move. She hadn't even told her parents. They would only worry, and there was nothing they could do. There wasn't really anything any of them could do. She and Emily were trying, but coming up with nothing. Emily thought it was Lyndon, and while it made sense, Paige just didn't think it was him. He was creepy, sure, but she didn't peg him as being smart enough to pull all of this off without being caught. Whoever this was definitely was sneaky, managing to capture them in the most intimate of times without being noticed. Paige kept bringing up the picture of her and Emily in the library, more because it bothered her someone had been watching than the fear of it being public. It was scary knowing someone could be watching them at any time, especially when that someone could be dangerous. And the frustrating part was that they had no idea who it was.

Emily was worried, too. She and Paige were both trying to be strong for each other. If they didn't show their fear, maybe there was nothing to be afraid of. But of course that wasn't the case.

What Emily told herself, as she made her way down to the lobby from her night class, was at least they had each other. She couldn't be facing this without the joy she had found from her love for Paige, and she was sure her girlfriend felt the same way.

Paige was waiting for her in the lobby. She smiled when she saw her, dozing over her chemistry textbook. She looked absolutely adorable, her long hair hanging in her face with her head down. Emily chuckled and cleared her throat.

"Em!" Paige exclaimed, jerking awake. "Fuck…. you scared me."

"I'm sorry, babe," she replied as Paige stood up. "I feel like we do the same thing every time I have this class."

"This lobby makes me tired," she protested. She yawned loudly. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah. Thanks again, Paige."

"Of course," she replied, taking Emily's hand. "I don't want you walking back in the dark alone."

"I don't want to, either," she agreed as they went outside. She shivered, pulling her coat tighter around her. "It's freezing."

"I think it's a hot chocolate and cuddle night," Paige agreed. Emily smiled. That definitely sounded like a good idea.

"While watching the Polar Express?" Emily asked hopefully. "You promised after Thanksgiving you wouldn't complain."

"Of course," Paige replied, grinning. Her girlfriend was that person eager to celebrate Christmas before the Halloween decorations were even out.

"Paige," Emily whispered, and her smile faded. She didn't even need to ask to know why Emily sounded afraid. Looming in the distance was someone wearing dark clothes, the hood pulled up to cover their face. Emily's instinct was to run, but Paige wondered if maybe they should just march up and rip the hood off.

"Maybe we should go jump them," Paige suggested quietly. Emily looked terrified.

"Paige, no. They could have a knife!"

"We can't just keep run-."

"Yes, we can!" Emily interrupted, pulling Paige with her. "I'm not sticking around to find out what they want."

"They could just want to scare us."

"Or kill us."

Paige didn't argue with that. Emily could be right. But on the other hand, she wanted to find out who was under that hoodie and why they were after them.

They practically ran back to the dorm, not wanting to know if they were being chased. When they got there, there was no sign of the hooded figure. They slipped inside and went up to their room, Emily dropping down on the bed while Paige locked the door. Paige sat down next to her, biting her lip.

"Are you okay, Em?"

"I'd be much better if we weren't being followed by someone who might want to hurt us."

"I really think we should attack them. Rip the hood off and see what it is."

"No. Not when we don't know what their intentions are."

"Em, they haven't threatened us," Paige reminded her, kissing her gently. "Sure, they're creepy and I don't like what they're doing. But at this point, I don't feel like we're in any real danger."

"I do," she replied, her eyes filled with tears. Paige felt a pain in her heart at the sight of Emily looking so afraid. "I really do, Paige. And I'm so scared."

"Oh, Em….."

"I felt so safe at your house last week. Like we could be out at night and I didn't always have to be looking over my shoulder. But here… and I'm so torn because I love it here and I love the people I've met, but I'm just so scared," she whispered. Paige pulled her in for a hug, unsure of what to say. She knew Emily was more afraid than she was. She had been from the beginning. But while Emily was convinced it was a cold blooded killer who wanted to rip them to shreds, Paige was becoming more and more convinced it was Lyndon just trying to scare them. There had been no sign whoever it was wanted to hurt them. They had been alone with him tonight, and he had just stood there, not making a move to comes towards them or anything. It seemed to Paige that if the goal was murder, they would know it by now. But she didn't know how to convince Emily of that.

"Em, I'm sorry," she replied, because it was all she could think of. "I hate that you don't feel safe here."

"I feel safe when I'm with you. I just feel safer when we're not around whoever this is."

"I know," she whispered, rubbing Emily's arm. "If you want, we could go visit my parents again this weekend. It's not a far drive. And now that they know about us….. I want to go back."

"How does it feel?" Emily asked, smiling at the memory of Paige bravely telling her parents the truth. "For them to know?"

"Really good," she replied. "I just wish your parents were the same way."

"Hey. I have you. That's what matters," she assured her. Paige smiled.

"I won't let anyone hurt you, Emily. I will never break that promise."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next evening, Paige and Spencer had to attend a mandatory seminar for their biology class in the Lincoln Auditorium. Five minutes in she was already bored, sneaking glances at her phone under the table. She certainly wasn't the only one guilty of that. She even caught Spencer doing it, and Spencer always liked to follow the rules.

She was already thinking about the walk back to the dorm. She would have Spencer with her at least, along with everyone else leaving the seminar, but she was afraid of what she would see. She was just looking forward to being back at her dorm, the scary part of walking back in the dark over with.

Emily was hanging out with Hanna for the evening, in the community room in their dorm. She was happy Emily wouldn't need to be walking around outside. She knew her girlfriend was afraid, and she hated it.

She jumped a little as her phone buzzed. Glancing down, she saw it was Emily, so she opened the message, trying to be discreet.

 _Babe, when are you coming back? :(_

 _Soon, I hope_ , Paige typed back. She glanced back up to make sure she was hidden by the rows of people in front of her. _Aren't you having fun with Hanna?_

She put her phone back in her pocket and seriously tried to focus. But it was only seconds before it buzzed again, and Emily was more interesting than DNA any day of the week.

 _Yeah. But I miss you 3_

 _You're a dork. I'll be back soon._

 _Promise?_

 _Of course, Emmy._

 _Good. Guess what I wanna do when you get back?_

Paige bit her lip. There was no way Emily was mean enough to tease her like this now. Was she?

 _What?_ she typed, knowing full well what the answer would be.

 _You can guess._

 _Emmmmmmmm stop. I'm in a seminar._

 _So?_

 _So don't turn me on. It's mean :(_

 _:D I love you, Paige._

 _I love you too, Em. I'll see you in a little._

She slid her phone back into her pocket. Spencer gave her a scolding look, and Paige rolled her eyes. Like she hadn't been texting Toby the whole time.

It felt like forever before they were finally allowed to leave. Paige winced as she stood up, her back stiff from the hard, wooden chairs they had been forced to sit in for so long. But she recovered quickly, her eagerness to get back to her dorm stronger than her the dull ache in her back.

She and Spencer walked quickly back to the dorm buildings. They said their good byes, and Paige hurried up to Rutherford Hall, pulling her key out as she went. She glanced around before she opened the door, making her way to the community room. Emily and Hanna were there, along with a few other residents, playing pool at the pool table. Or, at least they were trying to.

"Hey there."

"Paige!" Emily exclaimed, tossing her stick down and running to her girlfriend. She wrapped her arms around her, holding her tightly. "I'm so glad you're back. I was really nervous about you coming back in the dark."

"I'm fine," she assured her gently. She kissed her softly. "I didn't see him….. or her…. at all."

"Thank goodness," Emily replied, leaning her head against Paige's shoulder. "I was worried."

"That's for saying hi to me, you bitch," Hanna joked, walking over to them. Paige grinned.

"Hi, Hanna."

"Doesn't count now. How was your seminar?"

"Boring. I'm glad it's over."

"Hanna, if you don't mind, we're going to head upstairs," Emily told her. Hanna smirked.

"I figured. Have fun."

"Good night, Hanna."

They walked up the stairs to their room, hand in hand. But as they approached the door, Paige's key out and ready, they both stopped short. Paige heard Emily gasp beside her, and her own breath caught in her throat. They wouldn't be needing the key. Because the door to their room was cracked open, just a teeny bit but enough to terrify both of them. Because that tiny crack told them that someone had been in there. Someone who shouldn't be.

"Em?" Paige whispered. "Did you come up here and forget to close the door?"

"No," Emily replied, equally quiet. She swallowed hard. "Someone was in here."

"How? How would they have gotten a key?"

"The RA has keys for all of us. They must have gotten one there."

"But… how did they get in?" Paige asked, pushing the door open. Whoever it was was long gone, and there was no sign anything had been stolen. No, this was definitely the same person who had been trying to scare them taking it a step further.

"I don't know," Emily groaned. "We need to go tell Cece. This is going too far."

Paige stood and stared at their room another moment, trying not to show Emily how afraid she was. Her previous confidence that this was just someone trying to scare them was starting to fade. They kept escalating their tactics, and she was afraid what they would try next.

She followed her girlfriend downstairs to the lobby, where Cece, their RA, was sitting at the front desk. She took one look at the expressions on their faces and quickly stood up.

"Girls? What's wrong?"

"Someone was in our room," Paige explained, trying to keep her voice steady. "We came back and the door was open."

"You're sure you didn't leave it like that?"

"No," Paige insisted. "We left together, and I know I locked the door. I always do."

"I'll call the campus police," she replied, walking over to the phone box on the wall. "Does it look like anything's stolen?"

"I don't think so," Paige replied. "It's not messy or anything. I think they were just trying to scare us."

"Who?" Cece asked, looking puzzled.

"The police will know."

Cece called the campus police, and it didn't take them long to arrive. The girls explained to them how nothing appeared to be missing and nothing even looked touched. The door had just been open, in almost a mocking way. Showing them that someone had been in there and there was nothing they could do about it.

One of the officers asked around the floor, seeing if there was anyone who saw anyone suspicious. No one said they had. So the officers left, leaving the two of them feeling helpless and afraid. They climbed the stairs in silence, both of them having the same thought that they didn't want to go back to their room.

"Em?" Paige asked.

"Yeah?"

"You wanna see if we can stay with Hanna and Aria for tonight?"

"Yeah."

Paige knocked on their door. Hanna answered it, already dressed in her pajamas.

"You guys wanna sleep here tonight?" Hanna asked before Paige could even open her mouth. Emily nodded gratefully.

"Please."

"Come on in," Hanna replied, and they followed her in. Aria was at her desk doing homework, but she stopped and looked at them when they came in, looking concerned.

"Are you two okay?" she asked.

"I guess," Emily replied. "As okay as we could be."

"You guys can take my bed," Hanna told them. "Aria and I can share."

"Are you sure We-."

"I'm sure," she cut in. "We want you to feel safe here. Please, make yourselves at home."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: So sorry, guys. I've been really annoying lately with the updates. I could make a million excuses, but I need to try harder to get these done. I think part of my writer's block has to do with how shitty the actual show has become, but that just needs you guys need Paily more! Thank you for sticking by my stories, and I hope you enjoy the update!**

"Maybe we should tell your parents," Emily suggested. It was the next day, and she and Paige were sitting in the dining hall, putting off going back to their dorm as long as possible. It was terrible that they didn't feel safe there. But after last night, Emily was really afraid. She knew she had locked the door. But whoever this was following them had found a way to get in anyway.

They were still unclear of the motives of this person. Did they want to hurt them? Did they just want to scare them? They had absolutely no idea, and the campus police had been no help. They kept brushing the girls off, telling them that as long as their physical well being wasn't being threatened, there was nothing they could do.

"And tell them what?" Paige asked with a sigh. "They'll just want me to come home."

"We have to do something, Paige."

"I know, Em. And I would love to be able to, but I don't even know what we're working with right now."

"We can't just keep letting this happen. They broke into our room, Paige. As far as I'm concerned, that's taking it to a whole other level."

Paige bit her lip. She was uneasy about this whole thing, but she knew Emily was really freaked out. And she felt absolutely helpless, like she was failing to protect her. And anyone who knew Paige knew how much she hated feeling like a failure.

"Em, don't you think if they wanted to hurt us, they would have done it by now?"

"I don't know. But I'm tired of being terrified. I came to college to learn, not to be terrorized."

"I know," Paige soothed, reaching out for her hand. "I'm sorry, Em. I'm supposed to be able to protect you and I'm doing a lousy job."

"This isn't your fault, Paige," Emily told her girlfriend softly. "I'm not exactly doing a good job protecting you, either."

"Maybe it will just stop."

"Paige… you said that two months ago."

"Did I?"

"Hey, look who it is!" Hanna exclaimed, sitting down with a thud next to Paige. "Whatcha talking about?"

"Just stuff," Emily replied, moving her chips away as Hanna made a grab for them. "Where's Aria?"

"Flirting with Holden. It was making me uncomfortable so I left."

"You? Uncomfortable?" Paige chuckled.

"That reminds me," Hanna continued. "Paige, would you be upset if I made moves on Caleb?"

"What?" Paige asked in surprise.

"He asked me to hang out the other day, and I said yes. I just wanted to make sure you were okay with that."

"Hanna, of course," Paige assured her. "I'm gay. I have no feelings for him. Besides," she continued, smiling at Emily. "I'm as happy as can be right now."

Emily smiled, leaning in to kiss her. Hanna grinned.

"You guys are so cute. I'll leave you alone now; I just wanted to ask you about Caleb."

"Go for it, Han," Paige replied.

"Sweet." Hanna jumped back up. She turned back around, a sly grin on her face. "Is he good in bed?"

"I'll let you make that determination on your own," Paige replied as Emily smirked. "It wasn't really my style."

Hanna scurried away, leaving the two of them alone again. Paige glanced out the window, where the sun was beginning to set. If they didn't go soon, they'd end up walking back in the dark.

"We should probably go soon, Em," Paige told her girlfriend gently. Emily sighed. "I know, babe. But we can't stay here all night, and we definitely don't want to walk back in the dark."

Emily nodded, standing up. Paige followed her, glad they were finally getting out of here. She didn't think anyone would try to break in while they were there. She hoped, at least.

They made it back to the room without a hitch. Paige locked the door, hoping it would do them some good this time. She turned to Emily, who was kicking her shoes off and flopping down on the bed.

"There."

"Wait," Emily started. "Forget how they got into our room. How did they get into the building?"

"I don't know. Maybe someone saw them and thought they lived here?"

"That's it!" Emily exclaimed, making Paige jump. "We'll ask around. See if anyone remembers opening the door for someone who…. never mind. That's a stupid idea. How would they know everyone who lives here?"

"Maybe the cameras?" Paige suggested. They have them in the lobby. If this person is someone we know, like Lyndon, we'd see them."

"We couldn't get those. They don't think we're in enough danger."

"Maybe we could steal them."

" _Paige_."

"What? If no one is going to help us, then we need to help ourselves."

"No. Absolutely not."

"That's all I got," Paige replied, pulling Emily down next to her. She gently brushed a loose strand of hair out of her girlfriend's face. "Em?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you," she whispered. "And we'll get through this."

The Holiday Dance arrived two weeks later. Since then, Emily had had two run-ins with Alison on campus, trying to get her to talk. Paige was becoming convinced that their stalker was Alison, and that she was a jealous ex-girlfriend trying to make them pay. Emily insisted there was no way.

When the dance arrived, they agreed to let themselves enjoy it and try not to worry about their mystery stalker. Of course, it would be easier said than done.

Paige went to Spencer's room to get ready, while Emily got ready with Aria and Hanna. She wanted to surprise Emily with her outfit, and she was surprised at how much she liked it herself. She had decided on it on a whim, and she had to admit she looked pretty good.

She looked at herself in Spencer's full length mirror, admiring herself. She looked pretty good in a tux. She had even curled her hair, something she never did, and she wasn't sure she had ever felt so confident. Even Spencer was looking at her in awe.

"Damn," Spencer told her, blatantly looking up and down. "I think I might be fighting Emily for you tonight."

"Flattery, huh? Wouldn't expect that from you," Paige replied, smirking. Spencer rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Whatever."

"Hey, I wanna ask your opinion on something," Paige started, picking up the box she had come to Spencer's room with. "And I know you're going to act all horrified because you're a prude-."

"Thanks."

"But you've been my best friend for years and I want to know what you think," she continued, opening the box. Spencer peered inside, her cheeks turning red when she saw the strap on inside.

"Oh."

"Emily and I ordered it about a week ago. She doesn't know it's here."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"I was going to wear it tonight and surprise her. What do you think?"

"Uh," Spencer replied, and Paige could tell she was surprised. Sure, they were best friends, but Paige had never been overly open about details regarding her sex life. But since Emily she had developed a new found confidence, and surprisingly enough that didn't make her feel awkward anymore. "I mean, I guess."

"She'll like it, right?"

"I'd say so. But, uh, where we you planning on doing it?"

"I don't know. We'll see," Paige replied, winking at her friend. Spencer stared at her in shock.

"Who are you and what have you done with Paige McCullers?"

"I know! I don't know what's come over me."

"You can be yourself now," Spencer told her, smiling kindly at her. "That can go a long way."

"Yeah," Paige agreed, grinning stupidly. "I guess it can."

That evening, she walked into the beautifully decorated Wilson Hall with Emily on her arm, looking beautiful as always. Hanna had done an astounding job with her hair and makeup, and Paige had had some trouble lifting her jaw off the floor when she had first seen her. Emily had been impressed herself, saying over and over again how good Paige looked in a suit. And for once, Paige hadn't even been embarrassed by the complements.

"It's so beautiful," Emily gasped, looking around. There were lights and tinsel everywhere, complete with a giant lit tree in the center of the room. Paige had to agree that it looked incredible.

"Not as beautiful as you," she whispered, leaning in to kiss her. She felt a wave of arousal sweep through her as she thought about the toy and using it on Emily later. She wondered if it was obvious.

"I'm hungry," Hanna announced loudly. "Let's see what food they have."

Paige and Emily watched as Hanna and Caleb went to investigate the food. She was glad to see Hanna happy, and even though it was a little strange seeing Caleb around all the time again, it didn't bother her. She liked that they had been able to maintain a friendship, and she actually thought he and Hanna were kind of cute together. Spencer had come with Toby of course, and Aria had even gotten asked by Holden. Lyndon was nowhere to be found. It was going to be a good evening.

"You know, I'm pretty hungry, too," Paige told Emily. "Care to check out the food with me?"

"Certainly," Emily replied. "I don't like to dance on an empty stomach." She paused, grinning wickedly. "Make sure you don't eat too much, though."

"Oh?" Paige asked, trying to play it cool. "Why? You think you're getting lucky later?"

Emily leaned in close, Paige feeling her breath on her ear. She gulped.

"I know I'm getting lucky later."

She didn't argue with that. Her mind drifted back to the strap on, and she wondered if she would even be able to make it through the evening. Emily smirked triumphantly before sauntering over to the food table, leaving Paige staring after her in desire.

Once they had all gotten something to eat, the eight of them all settled down together around a large circular table. Paige couldn't remember the last time she had felt so relaxed since arriving at school. Here she was with her friends, and most importantly Emily, and they could just have fun. They didn't have to worry about scary phone calls or hooded figures following them in the dark.

Or so she thought.

"Guys, I'm gonna miss you over winter break," Hanna remarked. "We have to try to get together somewhere. I don't think anyone lives that far."

"Me, Paige, and Caleb are all from the same place," Spencer added.

"We'll figure something out," Emily promised. "We can all meet up at a halfway point or something."

"Besides, it's only a month," Toby added. "We'll all be back before you know it."

"And then you'll be complaining about how you have to study," Aria told her, and they all laughed. It was true.

"Whatever," Hanna replied, waving her hand as if to brush her off.

"It's been a great semester," Emily agreed. "Although it hasn't been without its stresses and stalkers, I wouldn't change a second of it." She turned to look at Paige. "Let's toast. To a great first semester."

They all held their juice glasses up, clinking them together. Paige took Emily's hand under the table and squeezed it.

"I love you, Em," she whispered as the rest of the group returned to talking. Emily smiled at her, leaning in for a kiss.

"I love you, too."

 **A/N 2: Things are about to get crazy! Stay tuned and I will try my hardest to get these next updates to you as quickly as possible!**


	18. Chapter 18

"Are you having fun?" Paige asked as she and Emily swayed slowly to "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." It was getting late, and she was thinking about sneaking Emily away soon, but she had promised her plenty of dances. She loved the feeling of Emily in her arms, whether they were making love, dancing, or just sitting together on one of their beds. This night had been perfect and she didn't want it to end.

"I am," Emily replied. "So much fun. I actually don't feel worried at all, and I honestly don't remember the last time that happened."

"I'm very glad to hear that."

"Have I mentioned how incredibly sexy you look in a suit?" she asked. Paige laughed.

"A couple times, yes."

"Well, you do," Emily purred, pressing herself up against her girlfriend. Her eyes widened as she felt the bulge in Paige's pants, and she looked at her questioningly. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Surprise," Paige replied sheepishly. Emily laughed.

"Oh, Paige….. wow. Yeah, this night has been incredible."

"What do you say after this dance we get out of here?" Paige asked. Emily nodded, her eyes dark with lust.

"I think that's a really good idea."

When the song ended they snuck away successfully without being stopped by their friends. Paige was heading for the door but Emily grabbed her arm and shook her head.

"No. I have a better idea."

Paige's heart pounded with anticipation as she followed Emily up the long, winding staircase. She couldn't believe they were about to do this with so many people downstairs. Sure, there was loud music, but suppose someone came up to take a breather? But then again, that was part of the excitement of it all.

Emily led her to the student lounge at the end of the hall, closing the door behind them. She turned to look at Paige, licking her lips.

"I want you so bad."

"I want you, too," Paige managed to choke out as Emily stepped towards her. She was suddenly aware of how wet she was and she shifted uncomfortably, ready to take all of her unnecessary clothing off.

Their lips met in a passionate kiss. Paige held Emily tightly, amazed at how aroused she was before any clothes had come off. That was the effect Emily somehow had on her.

"You are so fucking sexy," Emily whispered, removing Paige's suit jacket. "I've been wanting you to fuck me all night."

"Great minds think alike," Paige replied, pulling Emily's dress down to reveal her breasts. She cupped one in each hand, running her thumbs over Emily's nipples as she kissed her again. Emily moaned softly.

"Paige…."

"I wanna go slow at first," Paige warned her as she pulled the rest of her dress down. Emily stepped out of it, standing in front of Paige in nothing but her underwear. "I wanna make sure this isn't going to hurt you."

Emily nodded, quickly working on getting Paige's pants off. She wasn't surprised to hear that. Paige would always put her comfort first, and even though it was going to be frustrating, it was probably for the best. She had never had more than a couple fingers in her, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. But her want for Paige was far stronger.

They stood naked in front of each other. Emily looked at the toy resting between Paige's legs, suddenly overcome with a strange urge to laugh. It did look pretty funny. But when Paige kissed her again, all rational thoughts disappeared.

Paige gently laid her down on the couch, climbing on top of her. She ran her fingers between Emily's wet lips as she kissed her, making sure she was ready. She definitely felt it.

"You're so beautiful," she whispered to her, rubbing circles on her clit. Emily gasped, closing her eyes.

"Oh…"

"I'm going to go slow, okay?" Paige started, continuing to rub her clit. "If I hurt you or you don't like it and you want me to stop, I want you to tell me."

"Uh huh," Emily agreed. "Fuck that feels good…."

"I know it does," Paige replied smugly. She pulled her hand away, and Emily moaned in protest. "Shh. This will be good, I promise."

Emily nodded, her heart pounding in anticipation as Paige positioned the toy at her entrance. Paige briefly slipped a finger inside, making sure Emily was ready. She was.

She pushed slightly inside. Emily bit her lip as the toy began to fill her. It hurt, but in a strange way, it felt good. And despite the slight discomfort, she wanted more.

"Are you okay?" Paige asked. Emily nodded.

"Uh huh."

She slowly continued to push in. Emily took a deep breath, trying to relax. There was nothing to be nervous about. This was Paige, her Paige. And she would never hurt her.

The toy was all the way in. Paige stopped, letting Emily adjust to the fullness before she slowly began to pull out. She watched her face carefully for any signs of discomfort.

"Paige, I'm okay," Emily told her. "You can go a little faster."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. It feels good in a really different way."

Paige nodded. She pushed back in and Emily sucked in her breath.

"Em?"

"I'm good, Paige. I'll tell you if it hurts."

She thrust in again, a little faster than last time. Emily closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around Paige. She felt so close to her, and she loved it. Sure, Paige was a little too cautious, but she found that sweet. She could deal with it slow for now.

"I love you," Emily whispered as Paige slowly moved in and out of her. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Paige replied, leaning in to kiss her. Emily ran her fingers up and down her back, wanting to feel as close to her as possible.

She let Paige continue with the ridiculously slow pace a little longer. She kept waiting for her to pick it up, but she didn't; thrusting ridiculously slowly and lightly. She was too gentle for her own good.

"Paige?" Emily started gently. "Faster. Please."

Thankfully, Paige finally began to pick up the pace. Emily moaned softly as tiny bolts of pleasure began to shoot through her. This was definitely a different feeling, and she had never been stretched so far before. But it was different in a good way.

"Faster," Emily whispered as the pleasure began to build inside of her. "Oh, Paige….. yes!"

"Good thing we have the music playing downstairs," Paige remarked as she thrust faster. Emily let out a loud moan in response.

She didn't really care if people heard them. She was too in the moment, her love for Paige and extreme pleasure overwhelming her. This was even better than she had been expecting. She shouldn't have been surprised; Paige was an incredible lover and she would be able to make anything enjoyable. Sometimes she was too gentle, because hurting Emily was the last thing she wanted to do, but she always knew what Emily needed.

"Oh, Paige," she moaned, digging her nails into Paige's back as she thrust inside of her with a sweet steady rhythm. "Fuck me…."

Paige was too focused to respond with a smart ass comment. She was incredibly turned on with the way Emily was responding, and she wanted to keep making her feel good. She would do it all night long if she could.

"Paige…. baby, yes!"

She was close. Paige was having a hard time moving the toy inside of her, but she didn't let that deter her. She kept thrusting, bringing a shaky hand to rub at Emily's clit. That did it, and Emily came with a loud cry, momentarily preventing Paige from moving at all. She brought her down gently as she always did, pressing loving kisses to her lips. Emily stared up at her, panting, her eyes glazed.

"Fuck, Paige."

"So, what's the feedback?" she giggled. "Positive?"

"You're such a dork," Emily replied breathlessly. "That was so good. You might need to carry me back to the dorm."

"I will if I need to," Paige assured her, lovingly kissing her. She slowly pulled the toy out, and Emily sighed. "You're so beautiful, Em."

"You're so… bold," she replied. "I mean, look at you wearing a strap on to a school dance. I'm impressed."

Paige blushed. Emily was right. She couldn't believe how much bolder she had gotten since she had come out. Being honest with herself had done wonders.

"I wanted to make you happy," Paige replied, smiling at her. Emily smiled back.

"You do make me happy." A grin crossed her face. "And I want to make you happy."

"Em, it's okay-."

"Take that off," Emily commanded, sitting up. Paige couldn't protest when she saw the look in her eyes and she quickly pulled the toy off, tossing it carelessly to the ground. She hoped they wouldn't forget it later.

Emily's lips pressed against hers in a heated kiss. She was incredibly turned on after seeing Emily get off like that, and she wasn't going to complain about being taken care of. Before she knew it she was pressed on her back, Emily's mouth trailing down her stomach. She always knew how to tease, and her tongue went everywhere but where it was needed most.

Paige shivered as Emily licked at her wet opening. That was pretty good, too.

"Tonight has been amazing," Emily purred into her center. "The dance, the decorations… you."

Paige moaned as her mouth finally connected with her clit. She was trembling with desire. Emily had an amazing affect on her, and their sex life was really indescribable. Sometimes she couldn't believe it took her so long to admit she was meant to be with a woman.

It didn't take her long to climax, clutching Emily's hand tightly as she cried out in pleasure. As she came down from her high, she thought about how Emily was right and this really had been an incredible night.

"Mmmm," she sighed, suddenly feeling tired. How she wished they were in bed back in the room.

"You're not sleeping, are you?" Emily laughed. "I don't think it would be good for people to come up here and find us."

"Mmmf."

"Or are you too much in post orgasmic bliss to care?"

"Yeah," Paige replied dreamily. Emily laughed, lying on top of her.

"I loved my surprise tonight."

"Good," Paige yawned. "I was hoping you would."

"Tonight was amazing, Paige," Emily whispered, her own eyes drifting closed. "I loved every second of it."

Paige woke with a start, completely disoriented as she looked around the darkened room. Where was she? What was sitting on her? She couldn't even move, much less get up.

She woke up a little more and her eyes adjusted to the dark. It was Emily on top of her, sound asleep. But where were they?

"Fuck!" she exclaimed. Emily grunted in her sleep. "Em, wake up! Now!"

"Unf?" Emily asked, slowly sitting up. She rubbed her eyes. "Wha?"

"Do you know where we are?" Paige asked, panicking as she jumped off of the couch. She began pulling her clothes on.

"Uh," Emily replied, looking around the room sleepily. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Shit!"

"I can't believe we fell asleep," Paige groaned. "We are so lucky no one found us like this."

"Paige, relax," Emily soothed, pulling her dress up. She paused. "It's quiet. How late is it?"

"I don't know," Paige groaned, fumbling around for her phone. "Fucking shit!"

"Paige, relax," Emily told her. "1:30. That's not too bad."

"I can't believe we slept through the end of the dance. Like, it's dead quiet down there. We must be the only people here."

"The doors aren't locked, are they?" Emily asked, suddenly looking worried.

"I sure hope not."

"What would we do? Call the campus police?"

"And tell them what? We were having sex in the student lounge and we fell asleep?"

"I don't know," Emily admitted as she and Paige stepped out into the hall. It was pitch black. She suddenly felt a wave of fear wash over her. They were alone in a dark building, possibly locked in. She hoped this wasn't going to be one of the times their mysterious hooded stalker made an appearance.

"Let's get out of here," Paige grumbled. She and Emily started for the stair case.

"Paige," Emily gasped. Across the hall, a door swung open slowly. Both girls stood frozen as they watched a figure step out from the shadows. Slowly, they lowered their hood.

"Hello, Emily," Alison sung softly. The dark didn't hide the glinting knife in her hand.

"Alison," Emily stammered as Paige stood paralyzed at her side. "What are you doing here?"

"I think you know, Emily," Alison replied. "I've been watching you this whole time. You and that slut."

Paige was too afraid to be offended. She didn't know why they weren't running. But as Alison walked closer they stood in the same spot, just watching.

"Why?" Emily asked softly, gripping Paige's arm.

"You wouldn't give me a chance," Alison replied. She was blocking their way to the stairs. "I just wanted to talk. And you wouldn't even listen."

"Alison, please-."

"I was here all night," Alison continued, a strange smile crossing her face. "I have to say, it went better than expected. We're all alone here. The doors are locked."

"Please, let us leave," Emily told her, sounding much calmer than Paige felt. "If you leave, I won't need to press any charges against you. But if you try to hurt us-."

"You should have listened to me, Emily," Alison whispered. And then the next thing they knew she was coming at them, knife raised.

 **A/N: DUN DUN DUN! I got this update done so fast! Hope you guys enjoy, and the conclusion is soon to come.**


	19. Chapter 19

"No!"

Emily wasn't sure who had yelled. But Paige pushed her out of the way, sending her crashing to the ground. Paige fell over her and Alison crashed into the stair railing, howling in pain. Paige helped Emily to her feet as Alison turned around, blood streaming from her nose.

"You fucking BITCH!"

She lunged at them again, plunging the knife into the wall. Paige ushered Emily past her, adrenaline fully kicking in.

"Run!" she shouted at Emily as Alison cam at them again. "Go go go!"

Emily was halfway down the stairs when Paige cried out in pain. She whirled around and gasped in horror when she saw blood dripping from her arm. Alison stood in front of her, the knife covered in Paige's blood.

"Paige!" Emily shouted, panicked. Alison looked beyond angry. She looked insane, and she was looking at Paige like she really wanted to kill her.

In a way, she thought she should have seen this coming. Alison had always been the jealous type, and she had been angry when she had realized Emily was dating Paige. She saw Paige as standing in their way, and Emily realized with horror that Alison wanted her to watch Page die.

"No! Paige!"

She started running back up the stairs. Paige almost fell backwards, trying to balance on the step she was on.

"Emily, run!" Paige shouted as she tried to fend Alison off. "Get help!"

Alison lunged at her. She successfully ducked the knife and crashed into her, sending them both tumbling down the stairs. Emily ran after them, plowing Alison over as soon as she started to stand up. Paige groaned, clutching her arm. It hurt, and there was so much blood. It stained her hand as she pulled it away. She was starting to feel dizzy.

But Emily's scream brought her back to reality. She scrambled to her feet, the room spinning as she tried to locate her girlfriend. She was running for the door, desperately trying to open it. But Alison was right. It was locked.

"HELP!" she screamed to no one in particular. There was probably no where anywhere near the building. "PLEASE HELP US!"

Alison laughed cruelly from behind her. She wiped Paige's blood from the knife with the sleeve of her hoodie.

"You can't escape, Emily."

"Why are you doing this?" Emily sobbed.

"Emily!" Paige called weakly from behind them. Alison turned, which gave Emily the opportunity the run past her, grabbing Paige's arm. They ran down the dark hall as Alison followed closely, not entirely sure where they were going. Somewhere in Paige's jumbled thoughts, she thought about how they were doing what the people always did in the movies; running away from the exit just in desperation to get away.

"The elevator!" Emily exclaimed, pulling Paige with her. They were just far enough of Alison that maybe they could make it there before she did.

Somehow she found a burst of energy, helping propel them inside the elevator. Emily frantically hit the button over and over again to close the door as Alison ran towards them.

"Come on!" Emily screamed frantically, slamming on the buttons. "Close you God damn piece of shit!"

Paige had the strange sudden desire to comment on Emily's use of profanity, since she normally only used that language in the bedroom. She wasn't sure where that had come from.

Just as Alison reached them the door closed. Emily collapsed to the ground as the elevator rose up to the second floor.

"Now what?" Paige asked weakly, clutching her arm. "Isn't she just going to come up the stairs?"

"I'm sorry," Emily whispered.

"Why?"

"Because it's my fault this has been happening. I didn't think….."

"Em, now is not the time to assign blame. We need a plan," Paige replied as the door opened. She peered out into the dark. There was no sign of Alison.

Emily closed the doors again. Paige pulled out her cell phone.

"No service," she muttered. "Shit."

"We're trapped," Emily whispered. "Trapped."

"Em…. we're gonna get out of here," Paige promised. She hoped so, anyway. Alison had gotten her somewhere important, and she couldn't believe how much blood she was losing. "It's okay."

"It's not okay!" she replied shrilly. "What do we do? Just keep going up and down in the elevator all night?"

"I don't know," Paige admitted. "Maybe go back to the ground floor and make a run for it?"

"What if she's there?"

"What if she's not?"

Emily nodded, standing up. Paige was right. They couldn't stay in the elevator all night. Suppose she figured out how to cut the power? She didn't think the girl was that smart, but then again she didn't think she was that crazy, either.

"Okay," she whispered. "Back to the ground floor."

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Both of them stood there, their eyes adjusting to the dark before cautiously stepping out of the elevator. Paige reached for her phone to use the flashlight, but Emily shook her head.

"No. It might give us away."

They crept down the hall, listening carefully for signs of someone else following them. Paige was really feeling dizzy now, and if she didn't get help soon, Alison wasn't going to be her biggest problem.

"Paige, you're really bleeding."

"I'm okay," Paige assured her. "Shhh! What was that?"

Emily froze. She didn't hear anything.

"What?"

"Never mind. Let's just get to the door. The locks have to be on the inside."

They turned the corner and stopped short. Alison was standing there, knife in hand, smiling.

"Boo."

"Alison, please," Emily pleaded. Paige stumbled beside her. "You don't need to do this."

"You wouldn't even let me talk, Emily," Alison replied. "You wouldn't even let me explain."

"I-."

"It's too late!" Alison snarled. "You're both going to pay!"

She knocked Paige over with ease, the knife coming far too close to her chest. Somehow Paige managed to hold her off with her good arm, but it gave out, Alison's elbow crashing into her nose. She cried out in pain as Emily tried to pull Alison off of her.

"LET HER GO!" she screamed. Alison threw her to the ground. "PAIGE!"

Paige barely knew where she was anymore. She could taste blood, and she vaguely thought about how it probably wasn't good she was bleeding from her nose now, too. She looked at Emily with dazed eyes.

And then the room was flooded with light as a swarm of police officers and campus security officers came bursting into the room. Spencer and Toby were with them.

Alison froze, the knife raised over Paige.

"Paige!" Spencer exclaimed as Toby raced to Emily. She was trying to get to her girlfriend.

"Put the knife down," one of the officers told her softly, gun drawn. "It's over."

Alison didn't move. Another officer grabbed her, yanking Alison off of Paige. Emily rushed towards her, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Paige, stay with me," she sobbed. "Please."

"I'm here," she replied, struggling to stay awake. "It's okay, Em."

"Paige," Spencer gasped. "Oh my God."

"An ambulance is on the way," a male voice told her. She tried to respond, but she was just too tired. Her eyes closed.

Paige woke up the sound of a steady beeping. It was starting to get annoying. She opened her eyes, surprised to see that she was in the hospital and the beeping was the IV machine she was attached to. Until the memories came flooding back to her.

"Emily?" she called out, her voice breaking. "Em?"

"Paige."

Emily was by her side immediately, clutching her hand. "Thank goodness. I was so worried."

"Are you okay?"

"Now that you're awake I am," Emily replied, gently kissing Paige's forehead. "I was so scared, Paige. You lost so much blood."

"What happened to Alison?" Paige asked. Her arm didn't even hurt anymore.

"I'm not sure. All I could focus on was you."

"How long have we been here. Actually, how did we get here?"

"You don't remember?"

"Not really."

"We've only been here a couple hours. Spencer and Toby showed up with the campus police."

"How?" Paige asked.

"Well," Emily chuckled. "She said they figured we snuck off to have sex somewhere and then left. But then they couldn't find us and they went back."

"Aren't we lucky," Paige replied, cracking a small smile. Emily laughed.

"I guess you could say that."

"Are you okay, Em? You're not hurt?"

"I'm not hurt," she assured her. "Your parents are on their way. Do you need anything? I can get a nurse."

"I'm okay," Paige assured her. She held Emily's hand, wondering how they had managed to get so lucky. "I just need you."

"Em, are you ready?" Paige called, lifting her bag over her shoulder. "I want to get home before dark."

"I'm ready," Emily replied, zippering her coat. "You're sure your parents are okay with me crashing at your house all month?"

"Of course," Paige replied, leaning in to kiss her. "Stop worrying, Em. We're going to have a great break."

"We are," Emily agreed. She pulled back to look at Paige, smiling. "How did I get so lucky?"

"How did you get so lucky? I'm the lucky one," Paige replied. "I mean, I guess we're both lucky to be alive."

"We are. And I'm going to make every second of our second chance count."

"I like that idea," Paige agreed as she and Emily left the dorm. They were headed to Paige's house for winter break, and while Emily planned on making an appearance at her house, the majority of the time would be spent with Paige. When she was with Paige, she finally felt like she could be herself.

It had been a crazy semester to say the least. She had fallen in love, finally accepted herself, and almost been murdered all within a few months. And as she looked at Paige, a smile on her face as they got ready to leave, she decided she wouldn't change even a second of it.

"Hey, Paige?" Emily asked.

"Yeah?"

"You make me really happy."

"You make me happy too, Em," Paige told her, smiling as she leaned in for a kiss. "This is going to be a great break."

They got into Paige's car, and in just a few minutes, they were on their way.

 **A/N: That's it for this one! Thank you for your support, and there will be a new story soon!**


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